


Flashlight

by pitch_playbook



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Minor Character Death, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:03:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4133418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pitch_playbook/pseuds/pitch_playbook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Emily loses her parents a few years prior to starting at Barden and Chloe takes her in. Emily grows up around the Bellas and struggles to really fit in when she finally gets to be one. Chloe tells her she fails so she can stick around for her and for the Bellas but Emily can think of one Bella in particular that Chloe wants to stay around for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am so here for the whole Emily is Bechloe’s love child idea, and this is my slightly angsty twist on that. We are starting off in the past and then we’ll flash forward, this will be heavily based on canon and take place mostly along the Pitch Perfect 2 timeline. As always any feedback is greatly appreciated. If you have a moment to leave a review or comment or send me message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow) it would make my day. Thanks for reading.

Chloe almost can’t believe her eyes when the breaking news banner flashes across the screen. The 11 o’clock news normally isn’t her thing but when there’s nothing else on she’ll watch it. She doesn’t know if she’s grateful to have caught it or would have preferred to live in blissful ignorance for a few more hours. Flight 6790 from Paris, France to Atlanta, Georgia crashed landed in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 57 minutes ago. Chloe sat in stunned silence as the anchor relayed the details. The plane, the blonde woman said had caught fire before it landed; no survivors are expected. She inhales sharply as the tears begin to fall. She doesn’t know how to tell the 11-year-old girl currently sleeping upstairs that her parents are dead.

 

She had promised Emily as she tucked her in earlier that night that her mom and dad would be there in the morning. They were supposed to be. Emily wanted to go to the airport to meet them but their flight wasn’t scheduled to get in until 4AM. Chloe told her to get some sleep and they’d all have brunch together tomorrow. She made feeble attempts to wipe the tears pouring from her eyes with her sleeves but they just kept falling. This couldn’t be real; plane crashes only happened in movies, not to real people, at least not to real people that Chloe knew. Her head was throbbing, all the crying already giving her a headache but she couldn’t will her legs to move. She pulled the blanket she had tighter around her chest and bit her tongue, trying as hard as she could not to cry out. The last thing she wanted to do right now was wake up Emily.

 

Katherine and Barry Junk had gone away to Paris to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, leaving their young daughter Emily in Chloe’s care. Chloe’s parents had been best friends with the Junks since before she was born. Chloe’s father knew Barry in college and reconnected with him when they realized they were members of the same country club. Chloe can still remember the day her mother told her that the Junks were having a baby girl and that she would have a playmate. There’s a 7-year age difference between Chloe and her aunt Katherine’s daughter but Chloe has always loved playing with little Emily all the same. Once she got old enough Chloe was the only person the Junks trusted enough to babysit their daughter. She spent evenings with her when their parents went out and whole summers with her when hers had to work. A week with Emily when her parents took a vacation was nothing out of the ordinary, except that they always came back. Chloe didn’t know how to tell Emily that last week when she hugged them goodbye at the airport would be the last time she would ever see her parents.

 

Chloe wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and crawl into Emily’s bed and hold her. Right now though she needed to let her sleep. She knew it would be Emily’s last good night for a while and she couldn’t bear to break the news right now. She laid her head down on the couch, she knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep but she needed to lie down. Her phone would ring soon enough, she knew that much. Her parents would be calling when they heard the news, and Aubrey and Emily’s grandparents she supposed. They were probably all sleeping right now but they would hear soon enough. A fiery plane crash in the Atlantic wouldn’t escape their notice when they awoke, and they were all the kinds of people who watched the news over breakfast. If she was right then she had at least 7 hours to lie awake on the couch before she had to talk to anyone. She needed those 7 hours because the hours and days that were coming were going to be anything but silent.

* * *

 

Her head hurt worse than the night before when she was jerked awake by the sound of footsteps running down the stairs. She had managed to fall asleep, but it couldn’t have been for anymore than half an hour. She didn’t feel at all rested, more like she had been punched in the head and the stomach. She rubbed her eyes roughly and took a deep breath. She had hoped she was just having a nightmare last night but Katherine and Barry weren’t home and she knew they never would be again. It took her a few seconds to register that arms were wrapping around her, her eyes barely open. She wrapped her own arms around the young girl, who if she was being honest was almost as tall as her, even at 11.

 

“Good morning Chloe.”

 

“Good morning Em,” Chloe replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

 

Chloe felt like a coward, unable to speak up and tell her the news before she asked.

 

She winced when Emily looked up at her expectantly, “where are my parents?”

 

She was still smiling at Chloe and Chloe felt like she was being stabbed in her already broken heart. She was still hopeful that she was going to get to see her mom and dad for the first time in 10 days. She thought they were around somewhere, just waiting for her to get up. Emily’s world was still in one piece and Chloe was about to shatter it. The words were caught in her throat as she stood just staring down at Emily. She started crying again before she could even get a word out and she hated herself for it. In front of her stood an 11 year old who just lost her parents and she can’t stop crying, she has no right to be the one in pain right now.

 

“Chloe what’s wrong?”

 

The look of concern and panic that flashes across the young girl’s face is another stab in the heart. She just needs to tell her. It is never going to be an easy thing to say and her reaction is never going to be different. Her whole world is going to come crashing down either way.

 

“The plane that your parents were on….” Chloe stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue.

 

She could see Emily’s eyes start to fill with tears. She may be only 11 but she is far from stupid. She can see tragedy written all over Chloe’s face.

 

“It crashed baby and I am so, so sorry.”

 

Chloe’s words confirm her worst nightmares. Her parents aren’t coming home, ever.

She knew it was going to be awful but nothing could have prepared her for the pained scream she hears next. She reaches out her arms to catch her as Emily crumples to the floor. Chloe forces herself to stop crying, it isn’t her turn to cry right now. She needs to be as strong as she can for Emily. She has lost two people she has known since she was born but Emily has lost her parents, the two people she loves most in the world. Chloe lifts her onto the couch and wraps her arms around her tight. She sits silently and just holds her as she cries. There is nothing she can say right now that will even make a dent in the excruciating pain Emily is in. She just lets her sob into her chest. She would tell her how sorry she is again but it seems woefully inadequate; as if feeling sorry for her means anything. She would probably punch anyone who told her they were sorry she lost her mom and dad in the face.

* * *

 

Chloe stops watching the clock after three hours, there’s no point. She’ll stay like this as long as Emily needs her to. The sobs haven’t stopped racking her small frame since they sat down. Chloe just rubs soothing circles on her back, even when she knows they are doing nothing to soothe her. Chloe is startled when her phone starts to ring. She glances over at the caller ID, not sure if she should attempt to answer it. She sees her mother’s number and knows that she should but moving doesn’t seem like an option. She misses the call, and the next one and the next one after that. Clearly her mother isn’t relenting, and of course she can’t blame her. If her best friend had died she would be calling to check on her daughter too.

 

She moves Emily as gently as she can and helps her to lay down on the couch. She props up her head with a pillow and covers her with a blanket. She sits down on the available cushion, next to Emily’s head. Chloe rests one hand on Emily’s shoulder in an effort to let her know she’s still with her. She reaches for her phone and dials her mother’s number. She picks up immediately. Chloe thinks of leaving the room to have this conversation but she doesn’t want to leave Emily and she doesn’t see a point. Emily already knows what they’re going to talk about.

 

Her mother is crying when Chloe picks up the phone. Of course she is, her best friend is dead. She asks how Chloe found out and if Emily knows. She asks if Emily is okay and Chloe does her best not to laugh. Of course she’s not okay, she just found out she lost everything. Chloe wouldn’t blame her if she were never really okay again, she’s not sure she would be if she lost both of her parents at 11 years old. She’s 18 now and she still can’t imagine losing her parents. Talk quickly turns to who will take care of Emily now. Chloe hadn’t really thought about it, not yet anyway. She was too devastated last night to think clearly and today she is more concerned with how Emily is dealing in the moment. She’s 11 though, the issue of who is going to take care of her is pretty important.

 

As far as she knows Katherine and Barry were both only children and she knows Emily’s paternal grandparents both died when she was young. Katherine’s parents are retired and live somewhere in Europe. They spend most of their time travelling, she’s heard from Emily about their adventures everywhere from Copenhagen to Budapest. They send her postcards and she displays them all over the walls in her bedroom. They fly her out to visit them for two weeks each summer and Skype her every other weekend. Chloe has only met them once when they were visiting the Junks stateside. She imagines they will be the next to call her. She doesn’t know what to say when they do, she is sorry for their loss but that feels too cliché.

 

The next week is filled with painful conversations in hushed tones because everyone other than Chloe is walking on eggshells around Emily. She can’t really blame them; there is no easy way to deal with a child who has lost their parents. You feel sorry for them, even if your pity makes them feel even worse. Emily hates the way people have been looking at her. She took the week off school but there have been people around the house, neighbors visiting with casseroles, distant relatives whom Emily has never met, friends of her parents from the country club and even a local priest. Emily doesn’t want to talk to any of them and Chloe keeps them at bay, it’s the least she can do for the girl.

* * *

 

Her grandparents fly in for the funeral, they thank Chloe for being with Emily, as if she would be anywhere else. She took the week off school, skipping classes and rehearsal with the Bellas was a no brainer. She’s not sure she could even focus if she did go; she’s still devastated, for herself, for her parents and especially for Emily. This is where she needs to be. Chloe sits in the back of the church with Emily who lays in her lap and cries. It’s all too much for her. She helps her sneak out the back door without anyone noticing when she can tell she just can’t take it anymore. No one asks questions, Emily can do whatever she wants; she’s the one who lost her parents.

 

They sit up against the brick wall outside. Emily pulls her knees to her chest and puts her head down. She’s not crying anymore, Chloe figures she’s cried herself out at this point. The week has been emotionally exhausting and if this is what Emily needs right now she’s happy to sit with her. Chloe reaches her arm out and wraps it around the young girl’s shoulders. She doesn’t say anything; she’s here for whatever Emily needs.

 

“Chloe,” she speaks up after a few minutes, “I don’t want to go to Europe.”

 

Chloe isn’t sure what to say, her grandparents must have talked to her about living with them. The Junks’ lawyer had been talking to them the day prior at the house, it makes sense that they would have wanted her grandparents to take care of their daughter.

 

“I already lost my parents, I don’t want to lose everything else too. I don’t want to leave my school and my friends. I don’t want to leave Atlanta or my home. I want to go to Barden when I get older and be a Bella, I’ve always wanted to be a Bella just like mom.”

 

Chloe presses a kiss to the young girl’s temple, it is the first time Emily has really talked to her about her feelings since she told her about her parents’ death.

 

“I don’t want to lose you.”

 

She says it so quietly that it’s almost a whisper and she’s crying again as she says it. Chloe hadn’t even thought about that yet. She can’t pick up and move to Europe if Emily goes to live with her grandparents. Her whole life is here too, just like Emily’s. Her parents, her boyfriend Tom, Aubrey and the Bellas, her a capella group. She couldn’t leave them and she’s already in her second year, she wants to graduate from Barden. Not seeing Emily on a regular basis though? Chloe can’t even fathom it. Emily has been a constant presence in her life since the day she was born, Chloe’s mother even took her to the hospital to see her that day.

 

“You won’t,” she promises, even if she doesn’t know right now how to keep that promise. Stockholm hasn’t stopped being almost 5000 miles away from Atlanta.

* * *

 

She’s nervous as she sits across the table from Emily’s grandparents. They’re supposed to be talking about plans to get Emily ready to move to Sweden. They need Chloe’s help to tie up loose ends here, notify Emily’s school, arrange to have her stuff shipped, and every other little detail that hadn’t yet come up. Emily doesn’t want to go though; she has made that very clear. The night of the funeral she cried herself to sleep in Chloe’s arms. She has become accustom to sleeping in Emily’s bed with her when she won’t let her go. She hasn’t been able to sleep alone since her parents died.

 

“I don’t want to move to Sweden,” Emily says, more bluntly than Chloe has ever heard her speak.

 

She’s normally shyer and more nervous, unsure of herself. She knows what she wants though.

 

“Honey,” her grandmother starts, “I know it will be hard to adjust but you’ll like it there.”

 

Emily shakes her head, “My life is here. My parents are gone but the rest of my life is still here. I want to keep living in this house; it was our home and it’s still mine. I don’t want to have to leave my friends and everyone I love. I don’t want to leave Chloe.”

 

Emily’s grandfather Richard looks over at Chloe when she says this. He’s used to hearing about Chloe, Emily talks about her on their Skype calls all the time. He just hadn’t realized how important she is to Emily.

 

“Em,” her grandmother says, her voice is almost pleading. “You can’t stay here alone, you’re so young.”

 

Chloe has been quiet, letting Emily tell her grandparents how she feels. Now she needs to speak up though, she owes it to Emily.

 

“I can take care of her Mrs. Junk.”

 

Her grandfather is the one to speak next, “I don’t doubt that dear, but you’re 18. You have your whole life ahead of you. You don’t need to be tied down with a child this early.”

 

“I know that it won’t be easy Sir but I love Emily. She has lost so much already; I don’t want her to lose everything she has here. I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t serious. I want to.”

 

Her grandmother sighs and Chloe gets it. They have lost their only child and Emily is their only grandchild. She gets that she would feel guilty about leaving her here and not bringing her home with them. This is Emily’s home though.

 

“Okay,” she says, nodding her head as if to reassure herself that she is doing the right thing.

 

Leaving your 11-year-old granddaughter with an 18-year-old college student probably seems absurd, but Emily will be in good hands.

 

“We will open up a bank account for her, her parents have setup a trust as well but she can save that for the future. We’ll make sure she has everything she needs. We will fly in when we can and fly her out to visit on school holidays.”

 

“She’s safe with me,” Chloe assures them, “I’ve got her.”

 

Emily gets up to hug her grandmother and it’s the first time Chloe has seen her smile in over a week. She’s missed that smile.

 

After she hugs her grandparents, presumably for agreeing to let her stay in the U.S., she runs over to Chloe.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She pulls Emily up into her lap. She’ll be taller than Chloe soon but that doesn’t stop her from being the little girl Chloe has always known.

 

“Anything for you Em,” she smiles at her.

 

She’ll deal with the reality of the fact that she just agreed to take in an 11-year-old kid tomorrow. For now she’ll settle for just watching Emily smile at her with relief in her eyes.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off thank you so much to everyone who has started reading this fic and leaving their feedback. We are about to flash forward now. As mentioned previously most of this fic takes place in the present day along the timeline of Pitch Perfect 2. This chapter is very Emily centric and we start to see Bechloe through Emily’s eyes. Hope you enjoy the chapter. As always your feedback would be greatly appreciated. If you have a moment to leave a comment or review or send me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow) it would brighten my day.

Emily walks toward the front door of the Bellas’ house slowly. She’s nervous, even though she has no reason to be. She has known these girls for 4 years, it’s not as if they are going to say no. Even after Barden’s Dean told them they couldn’t hold auditions they said she was an exception. They already know she can sing of course. On more than one occasion Amy has implied that she has the voice of an angel. Still though, her palms are a little sweaty. She wipes them on her jeans as she walks up the steps. She’s been in the house a few times before, just to hang out but this time it seems more intimidating. She takes a deep breath before she knocks.

 

Amy answers the door and gives her a smile. This calms her nerves slightly; Amy is one of her favourite people in the world. She can make her laugh when no one else can.

 

“It’s just little Emily,” Amy shouts back into the house, presumably to the rest of the Bellas.

 

She’s not little anymore; she’s 18. Amy’s not even that much older than her; she’s just grown used to calling her that. Amy wraps her arm around Emily’s shoulder and guides her into the house. The rest of the Bellas have now made their way to the living room. She watches as they spread out on the furniture and make themselves comfortable. Almost all of them are smiling at her, Lilly isn’t but it doesn’t really surprise her. She’s making a strange face that makes Emily laugh.

 

Chloe runs toward her and wraps her up in a hug. She presses a kiss to her temple and smiles wide at her. This is the day they’ve both been preparing for. Emily is now officially a student at Barden University and is finally eligible to join the Bellas. She’s been an honorary Bella since she was 14 but this is different, she has always wanted to actually compete. Sure she’s disappointed that the Bellas aren’t headed to the ICCAs this year but they are going to Worlds and that is almost better.

 

Chloe squeezes her hand as she whispers in her ear, “don’t be nervous love, you know this is only a formality.”

 

Emily smiles, even though it is true that this is mostly a formality she still doesn’t want to disappoint the Bellas. Auditioning for the Barden Bellas is an honor and she wants to take it seriously. She still remembers every word of her mother’s story about her audition for the Bellas years ago. She sang “Bette Davis Eyes” in an empty auditorium, just 3 Bellas sat staring her down. She was beyond nervous but she kept it together, never wanting the older, cooler Bellas to see as her crack. She had to wait 4 days to hear back about whether or not she had a place on the team. When she finally did they kidnapped her from her dorm room and made her drink vodka from a maxi pad, at least that’s what she said happened.

 

Her mother’s voice echoes in her eardrums as she stands there, facing her own panel of Bellas. Sure in this case these Bellas think of her as their little sister, but still, she wants her audition to go as well as her mother’s did. She wants to make her proud, even if she isn’t here to see it.

 

Chloe lets go of her hand and takes a seat next to Stacie on the couch. She winks at Emily and blows her a kiss. She knows Emily can do this, she’s never doubted that. It comforts her to know that even if her mom the Bella can’t be here she has Chloe here by her side.

 

“I’m going to sing an original song,” Emily starts, “I mean it’s not finished yet but I’ve been working really hard on it.”

 

She has her eyes closed almost the entire time she’s singing. It’s a sign of nerves that the Bellas all recognize. The song she sings though is kind of great. The Bellas all look between one another as she belts out her chorus. It’s sweet and sort of sounds like it could be on the radio. They know that Emily writes songs but they had no idea she could actually write really good songs.

 

When she finally opens her eyes again all of the Bellas are staring at her. She finds it hard to read them, especially Amy and Cynthia Rose. Chloe is the only one beaming at her, she wishes in this moment that all of the Bellas were as open and easy to read as Chloe. It takes a few seconds before the rest of the Bellas all start smiling at her. They don’t have to say anything; she knows she’s done a good job.

 

“You’re in legacy,” Amy says, standing up from her spot on the couch.

 

Emily considers the word for a moment, legacy. She has not one but two legacies to uphold. Her mother led the 1981 Bellas to victory and Chloe has been this crew’s fearless leader for years. The shoes are big but Emily is up to the challenge. The Bellas will rise again if Emily Junk has anything to say about it. She wants that ICCA trophy but for now she’ll settle for conquering the world.

 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Stacie speaks up, “get over here and hug us Em.”

 

Emily runs towards the rest of the Bellas, it’s going to be hard to get used to thinking of herself as one of them now. Emily Junk, Barden Bella. She likes the sound of that.

 

They wrap their arms around her in a group hug and squeeze. Her heart is threatening to beat out of her chest as she soaks everything in. This is a moment she has thought about since she was four years old. Since the first time she saw the video from the 1981 ICCA Championships this has been a day constantly on her mind. 7 years ago when her mother passed she wasn’t sure she’d get here, but now she’s standing here with her sisters. It’s overwhelming; her breath catches in her throat.

* * *

 

Tears start rolling down her cheeks and Chloe, as always, is the first to notice. As the other Bellas release their grip on her and sit down Chloe takes her hand and walks toward the kitchen. A flood of sadness now joins the few happy tears that wet her cheeks moments earlier. Chloe wraps her arms around the younger girl once again as she sobs into her chest. They’ve had many moments like this before, Chloe is used to it.

 

She kisses the top of Emily’s head gently. She doesn’t have to ask what brought this on. Chloe knows she’s thinking about her mother. How much Katherine would have loved to be here is all Chloe can think about today too.

 

“She would have been so proud of you Em, I know it.”

 

“I know,” Emily says as she raises her head to look up at Chloe. She’s smiling despite the fact that her eyes are glistening with tears.

 

“She loved you so much Emily. I wish she could be here to see you today.”

 

Emily nods without saying a word. Chloe’s words sting but they make her feel better all the same. She already knows that everything she is saying is true, but it feels good to hear it from the mouth of someone she loves.

 

Chloe takes a seat around the island in the kitchen and Emily sits on her lap. She’s taller than Chloe by more than a few inches and too big for this but Chloe doesn’t say anything. She rubs Emily’s back and just sits with her quietly, she’s all cried out and Chloe doesn’t know if wants to talk anymore. Talking about her parents isn’t exactly Emily’s favourite subject. She misses them too much in every moment, and especially at times like these.

 

“I wrote that song for you,” Emily speaks up after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

 

“Which song? The one you sang tonight?” Chloe asks.

 

Emily nods, “yeah, it’s called ‘Flashlight.’ You’ve gotten me through the darkest times in my life.”

 

“I would do it over and over again Em, I love you.”

 

“I love you too Chloe. Thanks for being there for me. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you.”

 

Chloe wipes away the tears that fall from her eyes with her sleeves. She presses a kiss to Emily’s forehead.

 

“Shall we go back and join the rest of the Bellas?”

 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

 

Emily takes Chloe’s hand and walks back into the living room. Amy is demonstrating some kind of dance as Cynthia Rose looks on mildly horrified. Stacie is doing Flo’s nails and Lilly is nowhere to be seen but Emily imagines she’ll find her hanging from the ceiling like a bat later in the night. Jessica and Ashley both give her a small smile as they re-enter the room. Emily still doesn’t know which one is which but she cares for them both all the same. One person is missing though and Emily has been wondering about her ever since she arrived at the house tonight.

* * *

 

“Where’s Beca?” she asks out loud, the question is directed at no one in particular but she expects Chloe to have the answer.

 

“I actually don’t know,” Chloe says shaking her head. “She left a few hours ago and I haven’t seen her since. I’m surprised she would miss your audition, she’s known about it for days.”

 

Emily shrugs, she’s not really worried about Beca missing her audition. She’s just wondering where she is. She’s surprised Chloe doesn’t know, Beca and Chloe have been close since Beca’s arrival at Barden. Emily was only 14 when she first met Beca but she instantly took a liking to her. She’s cool and she makes music, something Emily has also always wanted to do.

 

A few hours later Emily spots Beca when she arrives at the Trebles’ annual hood night party. She watches as Beca plants a kiss on Jesse’s lips soon after arriving. She likes Jesse, she really does but she’s always kind of wondered what Beca sees in him. They have almost nothing in common, other than a capella that is. He doesn’t listen to any of the music she likes and she still hates movies with a passion, despite dating him for the past three years. They don’t like any of the same shows, or food and they seem to have differing opinions on everything under the sun. Emily knows you don’t have to like everything exactly the same to be a couple, but she thinks a little common ground wouldn’t hurt.

 

If she’s being honest with herself though she mostly doesn’t think they should be together because Chloe is in love with Beca. She’s known this for a while, years really. She can see it in the way Chloe’s eyes light up whenever Beca enters a room and the way they fall whenever Beca kisses Jesse. She’s watched Chloe’s heartbreak over Beca over and over again for years. It just makes her sad, she wishes Chloe would speak up and tell Beca how she feels. Chloe isn’t one to break up someone else’s relationship though; she’s too good a person. If Emily had her way though, Beca would realize everything she needs is right there in front of her. They’re both so stubborn though, she doesn’t know if they’ll ever wake up and smell the roses.

 

She watches as Beca walks away from Jesse and she hopes that she’s on her way to find Chloe. A girl can hope right.

 

She’s taking a sip of what is definitely not alcohol because she is only 18 when Benji approaches her. He’s one of those “I’m so smart I got into college when I was 15 years old” guys and she’s always found him really cute. He can’t speak around girls though; she’s already learned this. She’s not sure if he has ever been able to get an entire sentence out around her, it’s kind of endearing.

 

“E..E..Emily,” he stutters out and she’s impressed that he said her whole name this time.

 

“Hi Benji,” she says, “great party.”

 

“M…m…movies?” Benji gets out and she thinks it’s a question.

 

“I’d love to actually, I just have to ask Chloe if she’s cool with it.”

 

He nods at her and smiles.

 

He takes a deep breath, “Great, j…just let me know. T…T…Text me.”

 

It’s almost a full sentence; she’ll take it.

 

“I will.”

 

She leans in and presses a kiss to Benji’s cheek before walking away. She looks back over her shoulder briefly to make sure he didn’t faint and laughs as Bumper comes over to check on him.

* * *

 

She finally spots Chloe and thinks better of running over to her when she sees that she’s talking with Beca in a corner. She tiptoes closer desperately wanting to know what their conversation is about. She hopes they can’t hear her but the leaves are making way too much noise as she brushes up against them.

 

“You missed Emily’s audition,” Emily hears Chloe say, she’s almost whispering but her tone is cold.

 

“I had something to do and it’s not like she needed to audition. Emily was always going to be a Bella, she’s a legacy,” Beca argued.

 

“Not the point Beca, it meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me. That little girl spent years waiting for that moment. You should have been there for her.”

 

She can hear Beca sigh heavily, “you’re right Chloe, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to Em when I see her. I just have a lot on my mind.”

 

She thinks Beca is being genuine but she wouldn’t be surprised if she was just telling Chloe what she wants to hear. Beca has always been good at pacifying Chloe. Normally it’s a good thing but right now she isn’t sure.

 

Emily watches as Chloe reaches out her hand to touch Beca’s arm.

 

Emily waits for a few more minutes, not wanting them to know she’s been eavesdropping on their conversation. She steps back from the bush she’s been standing behind and walks around it into the spot where the two women are standing.

 

“Hey Beca,” Emily greets her excitedly.

 

“Hey Em, I heard your audition was awesome. Sorry I had to miss it.”

 

“It’s okay,” Emily smiles at her, “you’ve heard me sing before.”

 

Beca steps towards her and wraps Emily in a hug, ruffling her long brown hair.

 

“Yeah well, I know I’ll be hearing you sing plenty in the years to come.”

 

Emily smiles sheepishly, the Bellas, Beca and Chloe included all have such high hopes for her. She just hopes she can live up to their expectations.

 

“Thanks Becs,” she smiles back at her.

 

Chloe takes Emily’s hand as the three of them walk back out of the yard’s corner to rejoin the party and the rest of the Bellas. They are all already dancing like maniacs when they find them by the pool. She joins in on their drunken dancing and she can’t help the smile that is plastered across her face. For her first official aca-party this is actually pretty fun.

* * *

 

Emily’s head is pounding when she wakes up the next morning. She shakes her head hoping to alleviate some of the pain but it doesn’t work. She definitely should not have drunk whatever the shots Amy gave her were. She hopes Chloe won’t notice since she tries very hard to be Emily’s responsible legal guardian. A few of the Bellas make that job a lot harder for her but they mean well.

 

Normally they would sleep back at home but after last night’s party they crashed at the Bella house. She’s surprised when she makes her way to the kitchen and Chloe isn’t up already. She expected her to have coffee ready, she normally does. She doesn’t know exactly where Chloe fell asleep last night. She passed out on the couch first and eventually Cynthia Rose helped her to get into Stacie’s bed. Chloe could be anywhere though. She doesn’t have a room in this house; she decided a few years ago that she and Emily should just stay at their own place. She has a sneaking suspicion about whose room she might be in though.

 

When she cracks open the door to Beca and Fat Amy’s room she can see immediately that her hunch was right. Chloe is fast asleep right next to Beca in her bed. Of course she is. Chloe has no boundaries and Beca having a boyfriend has never stopped Chloe from getting close to the other girl. Emily just closes the door gently and walks back down the stairs. She doesn’t want to wake either of them; they were all out late last night.

 

She puts on the coffee herself when she gets back to the kitchen. She hopes it will help with her hangover before Chloe wakes up. She’s never gotten drunk before and she doesn’t intend for Chloe to know that she has. Not that she would be upset with her, she just doesn’t want her to think she’s not doing a good enough job at watching out for her. She’s been hard on herself about that since the day she took Emily in. Emily’s never blamed Chloe for her shortcomings; she was only 18 herself after all when Emily lost her parents. Chloe has always been there for her and that’s all she’s ever needed from her. Chloe just wants to give her the world and then some.

 

“Morning,” Cynthia Rose’s voice greets her, “the smell of coffee has awoken me from my slumber.”

 

“Help yourself,” Emily offers, “I’ve never really cared for the taste.”

 

Cynthia Rose chuckles, “I recognize the I’m just trying to keep my mom from knowing I drank way too much last night look.”

 

“That obvious?” Emily asks, a little afraid of what her friend’s answer might be.

 

“Yeah, but Chloe’s cool. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

 

Cynthia Rose is right; Chloe isn’t going to be upset with her for this.

 

“Do you think Beca loves Jesse?” Emily asks, catching Cynthia Rose slightly off guard.

 

Cynthia Rose doesn’t have to wonder why she’s asking though. It has been an open secret between the Bellas for years. Chloe loves Beca, and Beca loves, well, they don’t really know. One would think the answer to that is Jesse, but the answer definitely isn’t that black and white.

 

“I really don’t know,” Cynthia Rose says shaking her head.

 

“You would think you would though wouldn’t you? I mean after three years it should be obvious if she loves him or not. Shouldn’t it?”

 

Cynthia Rose considers her words. This isn’t really a conversation she’s prepared to have so early on a Sunday morning after a night of drinking. She figures that Emily is probably right, but it’s none of her business. The Bellas have always tried to stay out of Beca and Chloe’s love lives, even when it seems like all they need is a push in the right direction.

 

Cynthia Rose doesn’t answer. She doesn’t have to though, Emily knows what she’s thinking and that’s enough for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone for the lovely comments and reviews. I’m glad you’re enjoying this story and I hope you’ll like where it goes. You asked for flashbacks and you’re getting them here, it was always my intention to include them and I hope they add to the story in a positive way. As always if you have a moment to leave a review or comment or send me a message on Tumblr please do as it will make my day.

Emily steps onto the bus and looks around. Most of the other Bellas have already taken their usual spots. There’s a spot next to Amy but she’s not really in the mood to have a conversation about the mating habits of the rabbit species that are indigenous to Tasmania. Amy promised she’d share more of her animal facts the next time she saw her and unfortunately for Emily that time is now. The spot next to Beca is still open too and for a second she reconsiders the spot next to Amy hoping that Chloe will sit next to Beca. It takes her about 30 more seconds to realize that Chloe is already on the bus and in deep conversation with Flo about hair products. She sighs deeply and takes the seat next to Beca.

 

“What’s up kiddo?” Beca asks she sits down.

 

Emily sort of hates when any of the Bellas call her that and Beca is only like 3 years older than her. She’s always been a little kid to the other Bellas though. Aubrey used to bring her candy every time they had Bellas’ rehearsals and they always correct themselves whenever they swear around her. She can’t count the number of times Beca has started to say fuc…and then said fudge sticks instead. She’s not a baby and she wishes the other Bellas understood that. They mean well, she just wants to be treated like a grown up.

 

“Oh nothing,” Emily shrugs, “I’m just err…worried about the car show.”

 

She lies and she’s glad Beca can’t read her as well as Chloe. What does she have to be worried about; they’re only going to the event to scope out Das Sound Machine. Emily is confident that the Bellas have nothing to worry about; they’re amazing.

 

“It’ll be fine Em, they’re just a bunch of Germans. We all know they don’t like fun things.”

 

Emily snorts. Beca has recounted the story of her picnic “date” with Jesse many times over the years, complete with her impression of him saying that he knows why she doesn’t like fun things. After the first time she heard the story Emily assumed she would never hear Jesse Swanson’s name again. She was certain he would be just some doofus Treblemaker that once had a crush on Beca. She was surprised when she saw Beca run out into the audience to kiss him after the ICCAs. Even more so she was heartbroken for Chloe who cried herself to sleep that night.

* * *

 

_Emily watches as Chloe runs out the doors of Lincoln Centre after the Bellas’ big win. She has never seen anyone run faster and more perfectly in heels in her life. She knows something is wrong when Chloe doesn’t stick around to celebrate with her teammates. She also knows it has something to do with Beca’s arms around a certain Treblemaker. Beca’s lips are glued to Jesse’s and 14-year-old Emily is actually kind of grossed out. She runs after Chloe, even in running shoes she’s not as fast as her._

_“Chloe,” Emily calls out to her once she gets outside, “Chloe, where are you?”_

_She walks around the corner of the building and finds Chloe sitting on the ground, back to the brick wall, head in her hands. Emily has seen her cry before but it breaks her heart every time. Chloe is hands down her best friend in the world and she hates to see her so upset._

_Emily sits down next to the older woman and takes her hand in her own._

_“She’s an idiot,” Emily says bluntly._

_Chloe looks up at her, her cheeks are stained with tears but she’s sort of smiling._

_“Who, Beca?”_

_Emily nods, “yeah, why is she kissing that goofball when she could be kissing you?”_

_Chloe laughs lightly. Emily is bright kid but she’s also totally naive._

_“She’s not. He likes her and I guess she likes him.”_

_“You like her.”_

_Chloe doesn’t say anything; she doesn’t have to. Emily has always been the only person who Chloe will talk to about her feelings for Beca. Not even Aubrey knows about her hopeless crush on Beca, or at least Chloe wasn’t the one to tell her about it._

_Chloe moves to stand up, keeping a hold on Emily’s hand as she pulls the young girl up with her. She wraps her arms around Emily’s neck, pulling her into a tight hug. Emily is already as tall as she is and Chloe knows she’ll be much taller before she’s done growing. She struggles to kiss the top of Emily’s head before releasing her._

_“What would I do without you kid?”_

_“Cry alone against the side of a building I guess,” Emily says smirking._

_Chloe elbows her gently, laughing and throws her arm around her shoulder as they walk back toward the front doors._

* * *

Emily realizes how wrong Beca was when they walk into the car show and Das Sound Machine starts their performance. She can’t help the involuntary reaction of her jaw; they’re disgustingly good. She tries not to look at Chloe who Emily can tell is sweating nervously as she pretends not to be impressed. A capella is kind of Chloe’s whole word, it has to suck to see Das Sound Machine performing on what should be her victory tour.

 

“They were actually really good,” Flo says after the performance.

 

She receives a swift elbow to the ribs from Cynthia Rose and Emily can see Chloe’s brow furrow in anger.

 

“They were pretty terrible, I mean did you see that…”

 

Emily stops herself. She’s never been able to lie well and especially not to Chloe.

 

“It’s fine,” Chloe says through gritted teeth, “the Bellas can beat them at their own game.”

 

Emily looks around to see a collection of raised eyebrows and looks of disbelief. Before any of them can say anything else Emily notices the apparent leaders of Das Sound Machine walking towards them.

 

It only takes a few seconds for a verbal altercation to break out between Beca and Chloe and the German singers. Emily laughs when Beca awkwardly compliments the incredibly tall, blonde leader of the group. The whole thing is pretty funny when she thinks about it. Chloe defends the Bellas as the Germans wish them anything but well at the Worlds.

 

“Well they’re rude,” Stacie huffs as they leave the car show.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Chloe says confidently, “We are the Barden Bellas and we have a proud tradition to uphold. There’s no way we are letting those duetchbags get the best of us.”

 

It’s a little aggressive but Emily is just glad Chloe isn’t crying.

* * *

 

The Bellas all clamor back onto the bus, decidedly more disheartened by the very idea of Das Sound Machine than they were this morning. Emily rushes to take the seat next to Flo that had been occupied by Chloe on their drive to the car show. She smiles when Chloe sits down next to Beca, far too close for what Emily is sure is Beca’s comfort level. The brunette doesn’t flinch though and Emily busies herself by talking the Flo, watching Beca and Chloe out of the corner of her eye.

 

The bus ride back to the Bellas’ house is largely silent with the exception of Flo sharing a story of how it could be a lot worse. Emily genuinely hopes her life really hasn’t been as awful as she makes it sound, though she’s more inclined to believe Flo’s stories than Amy’s.

 

As they get off the bus and head to the house Emily hangs back, watching as Chloe pulls Beca aside. She stands by the bus, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping on their conversation.

 

“What are we going to do Beca?” Chloe asks, and Emily can hear the desperation in her voice.

 

“We’ll be fine Chloe, I mean that German team is insane but we’ll be fine.”

 

“How can you be so chill about all of this Beca? If we don’t win at Worlds the Barden Bellas are over.”

 

“It’s just a capella Chlo,” Beca says calmly and Emily doesn’t even have to see Chloe’s face to know she’s hurt.

 

Emily watches as Beca heads into the house leaving a distraught Chloe on the steps alone. She waits for a minute before heading up the path and sitting down next to Chloe on the steps. She knows she doesn’t have to pretend she didn’t hear them. Chloe can read her like a book and the guilt is written all over her face.

 

“She doesn’t mean that,” Emily starts, “you know as well as I do that Beca cares about the Bellas, even when she pretends she doesn’t care about anything.”

 

“I know Em, it would just be nice if she said it once and a while.”

 

Emily knows exactly what Chloe means. It’s been a long time since she’s actually heard Beca say how much she cares about the Bellas. They all know she does, she wouldn’t still be there if she didn’t.

* * *

 

_Emily scribbles on her placemat as Mr. Mitchell congratulates Aubrey on their big win at the ICCAs a few nights ago. She’s 14 and decidedly too old for the kid’s menu but she always takes the crayons when she’s offered them anyway. Beca’s dad offered to take the Bellas out to dinner to celebrate after they won. Emily gets to tag along, she always does._

_Emily eats her chicken strips and listens as the Bellas discuss their favourite moments from the past year. Amy mentions something about the Riff-Off and Bumper. Emily laughs when she stops talking as Aubrey scowls at her. Aubrey has been intense for as long as Emily has known her. Stacie mentions all the hot guys that have turned up to their performances and makes sure not to mention any Trebles by name. Emily doesn’t point out that she’s seen Stacie on multiple occasions talking to a Treble whose name she doesn’t actually know._

_When it’s Chloe’s turn she makes most of the Bellas tear up as she praises them for getting through the highs and lows of their first year as Bellas. She toasts to more years to come. She told Emily a week prior to the competition about her failing Russian Lit and having to take her senior year over again. Chloe says she just let the course get away from her but Emily knows how well versed in obscure Russian Literature Chloe is. She’s had to hear Russian poetry as a bedtime story since Chloe started to babysit her as a child. Chloe can’t leave the Bellas, Emily knows that’s the real reason but she doesn’t blame her. The Bellas have been there for her and the real world is kind of scary._

_Beca is the last Bella to speak. Her favourite moment is one Emily wasn’t privy to. She mentions singing their first mash-up together in an empty pool and finding their sound. Her dad smiles at her from across the table and stands up as Beca takes her seat again._

_“Well Beca, you did it. You made it through an entire year of college when you never thought you could. I’m so proud of you.”_

_Beca blushes and Chloe winks at her from across the table._

_Her father continues his speech even after they all thought he was done._

_“If you still want to go to LA, I’m ready to make good on my promise. We can book your ticket on the next flight. What do you say Becs?”_

_Emily watches as Beca shakes her head immediately._

_“When this year started I thought I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be in LA and I wanted to be making music. I never thought I’d say this but now I know where I belong. I want to stay at Barden because I can keep making music with these girls and LA will always be there in the future. I love you girls too much to leave now. We’ve got more trophies to win.”_

_Emily can see a tear rolling down Chloe’s cheek as Beca finishes her speech. She jumps up from her seat and wraps Beca in a hug. Chloe leans in closer and whispers in Beca’s ear but Emily isn’t close enough to hear the exchange. Whatever it was Beca is smiling as they both sit back down._

_Amy calls for a round of shots before realizing that they’re in the US and they are still underage here. The Bellas settle for a round of desserts on Mr. Mitchell and Emily happily eats her sundae. She’s happy that Beca is staying; she is definitely one of Emily’s favourite people after this year. She’s never seen Chloe so happy and she knows it’s not just because she’s finally an ICCA champion._

* * *

A few days later the Bellas are in the midst of a pillow fight when Beca walks into the house with a mysterious envelope. Chloe hops down off the couch to go meet Beca as Emily watches. She is beyond excited when Beca announces that they’re going to be singing, finally. She isn’t sure yet exactly where they’ll be singing but she doesn’t particularly care. She’s dreamed of being a Bella since she was in kindergarten and now is her chance to prove herself.

 

She’s more than a little creeped out when an hour later they’re heading into the basement of a random middle-aged man. Chloe doesn’t seem phased by it so Emily just follows her. When the man pulls back the curtain and she sees where they are a sense of relief washes over her. They’re just going to be participating in some kind of an a capella competition in this guy’s basement. It’s weird but at least they’re not going to get chopped into little pieces, probably.

 

Emily waves enthusiastically at Benji when she spots him. They are all kind of confused but Emily just shrugs it off, whatever goes down tonight it’s probably going to be a lot of fun.

 

The middle aged man whose basement they’re standing in announces that they’re now members of the National A Cappella Laser Ninja Dragon League. Beca snorts beside her, it’s ridiculous but also kind of cool, at least Emily thinks so.

 

She can’t help but be intimidated by the other groups, especially Das Sound Machine who somehow look even bigger than they did at the car show. She hangs back and lets the other Bellas take the lead. She wants more than anything to sing a solo and prove herself but everyone is so damn good.

The Trebles get knocked out first and she’s torn between being embarrassed and kind of proud of herself for getting a guy so flustered. When they make it to the I Dated John Mayer category she knows she has this. She’s kind of a huge John Mayer fan but as she’s thinking about a Katy Perry song to start Chloe beats her to the punch with Taylor Swift. This is a lot harder than she ever expected, Chloe has always made it look so easy.

 

Emily watches as the Bellas go back and forth with Das Sound Machine. 90s Hip Hop jams are way out of her comfort zone, she doesn’t even know if she can name more than one. The rest of the girls are on fire though and Emily can’t help but smile. A minute or two into the round and Emily finally has her chance. The creepy a capella super fan points to the Bellas and no one steps forward. If she can just think of a song that fits this could be her moment. She can’t think of a song that fits though and she’s not sure why she does it but she just starts singing her original song.

 

The booing is the loudest she’s ever heard, even louder than when the Sockapellas perform. The Bellas have lost the riff off and it’s all her fault. Why the heck did she sing her stupid original song? No one wanted to hear that and it definitely didn’t fit the category. She cringes as she replays the moment in her head.

 

She knows Chloe is mad at her as she stalks out of the basement.

 

“Chloe, Chloe wait,” she calls after her.

 

She feels a hand grab her arm and she turns around to see Beca.

 

“Just let her go,” Beca advises, “you know how intense she is about winning.”

 

Intense is a bit of an understatement. Emily has seen Chloe flip out over more than a few competitions. Chloe is normally a very fun loving, easy going person but never when it comes to a capella.

 

“I’m going to go find her,” Emily says, removing her arm from Beca’s grip.

 

Chloe is sitting on the steps of the creepy a capella fan’s house when she makes it upstairs. She’s not crying which is a relief to Emily; she’s just staring out into the dark.

 

“I’m sorry I screwed things up for us in there. I get it if you’re pissed and don’t want to talk to me,” Emily offers, sitting down next to Chloe.

 

Chloe puts her arm around Emily’s shoulder and gives her a squeeze.

 

“I’m not pissed at you and when have you ever known me to give you the silent treatment? We kind of threw you to the wolves in there. Big, aggressive, German wolves.”

 

Emily smiles, she’s relieved that Chloe isn’t upset with her. She hates when they fight, even if their disagreements are few and far between and always end with a big hug.

 

“I just really wanted to prove myself you know, show everyone that I belong here and I’m not just here because I’m a legacy or whatever.”

 

“You don’t really think that’s why you’re here do you, because of me?” Chloe asks, her face softening at Emily’s admission.

 

“It’s true though isn’t it? I mean you’re not even allowed to accept new members this year.”

 

Chloe presses a kiss to Emily’s temple.

 

“Maybe being a legacy got your foot in the door but Emily I promise you that you are a Bella in your own right. You don’t have anything to prove and those girls in there would tell you as much if you asked them.”

 

“She’s right,” Emily hears a voice behind her say.

 

Both Chloe and Emily turn their heads to see Stacie standing behind them.

 

“What you did in there was kind of stupid sure but you showed you have the Bella spirit. You want to win and you’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top.”

 

A wide grin spreads across Emily’s face as Stacie finishes.

 

“Thanks Stacie!”

 

“Thank you,” Chloe mouths at her friend and fellow Bella.

 

Chloe takes Emily’s hand and they head toward the bus as the rest of the Bellas begin filing out of the house. That wasn’t their finest showing and Das Sound Machine got the best of them but they still have time to get it together before Worlds. If Emily has anything to say about it the Bellas will be the champions in Copenhagen. All she needs now is a strategy and well, that can wait until tomorrow morning. Tonight they’ll celebrate the almost win over DSM because it could always be worse. They could the Trebles who have to go home and think about losing to both the Tone Hangers and the Green Bay Packers. At least a football team didn’t beat them; she’d never be able to live that down.  


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been too long, I know. I usually like to update every Sunday but I’ve been far too distracted to write. This chapter is a little shorter than my usual updates but I wanted to leave the story where I did with this chapter. Hopefully it’s still worth the wait. Thank you to all the lovely readers who are following this story and who have taken the time to leave a review or comment. If you have a moment after this chapter it would really make me smile if you left your thoughts in a review or comment or if you feel so inclined you can send me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow).

Emily is wincing as Amy pulls on her hair. She was content to wait for Cynthia Rose to finish with the others girls but Amy insisted on doing her hair to save time. She rambled on about killing two birds with one stone and a few other metaphors Emily didn’t understand until she caved. She finds herself surprised as she stands in front of the mirror, her hair doesn’t look totally awful.

 

“Told you I could braid Legacy. I learned when I spent a month in an underground prison in Queensland,” Amy informs her.

 

Emily raises her eyebrow at the other Bella and breathes a sigh of relief as Chloe walks into the room. She’s not really interested in continuing this conversation and she’s sure she doesn’t want to know what Amy was in jail for.

 

“Hey Em,” Chloe greets her, “looking good.”

 

“Amy did my hair for me,” she informs her.

 

The look of pride on Amy’s face as she says it is almost worth the two hours she just spent listening to Amy sing along to “You’re the Voice” on repeat. She had threatened to spray Emily with the pepper spray she keeps in her bra if she changed the song.

 

“You ready for the performance?” Chloe asks.

 

“Well, it’s just a bunch of old fogies but I’m ready to bring the Fat Amy Power.”

 

Chloe laughs, Emily is pretty sure she was actually asking her but Amy’s answer will suffice.

* * *

 Emily is nervous as she steps out onto the stage with the other Bellas. Her stomach doesn’t settle as they launch into “Promises.” She sings back up nervously as she watches everyone do their thing.

 

Everything seems to be going pretty well and Emily starts to feel less nervous but then suddenly all hell breaks loose. Emily sees Flo roll past her in a hula-hoop and she is pretty sure that Cynthia Rose is on fire. Amy screams and as quick as it began the performance is over.

 

The Bellas bicker all the way back to their house. Amy tries to blame the whole mess on her and she has no idea why since she didn’t really do anything. Cynthia Rose sits in the corner pissed off about her singed hair and everything is a total mess. Emily really wants to cry but now is not the time.

 

Chloe is totally losing it in the corner of the bus. Emily can tell she’s really upset, and well she can’t really blame her. They couldn’t even manage to do a small gig for a crowd of geriatrics without totally screwing it up. Emily is confident that Das Sound Machine has only ever set one of their teammates on fire on purpose.  Emily is tempted to get up and go give Chloe a hug because she can tell she could use one, but she’s in the middle of her rant. All Emily hears is the world retreat come out of Chloe’s mouth and she knows where they’re headed.

 

Aubrey welcomes them to, “the Lodge of the Fallen Leaves,” and Emily hears Beca snort loudly.

 

“Naturally you own a corporate retreat,” Beca greets the former captain of the Bellas after the current Bellas surround her in a group hug.

 

Emily has been here before. She and Chloe stayed here a few years ago when Aubrey first opened the place. Back then Aubrey let her use the water slide all day long and taught her how to do the ropes course, it didn’t seem like that was going to be the case today.

 

Emily recoils slightly as Aubrey begins to chastise them for tarnishing the Bella legacy. She’s relieved when Aubrey seems to focus on Beca and Amy.

 

Aubrey has prepared a grueling day for them but most of the activities are pretty fun. She enjoys working with her fellow Bellas and they all look pretty funny covered in mud. The day is going great until a fight breaks out between Beca and Chloe.

 

Emily listens as Beca shouts. She’s criticizing Chloe for being afraid and staying at Barden for 7 years. She wants to jump in and defend her but it’s probably better if she just stays quiet.

 

Things go from bad to worse as Beca turns to leave. Emily expects Chloe to run after her. She’s used to Chloe chasing after Beca but she doesn’t follow her. Chloe only turns back to her a few seconds later when Beca screams as she gets caught up in a bear trap.

 

Chloe continues on yelling at her. Emily feels bad, Beca’s cries for help sound genuine. She apologizes to them for earlier and the Bellas are all kind of at a loss as to how they can free her from the trap. Emily isn’t the only who is stunned to see Lilly cutting her down when she looks up. She makes a mental note to ask her how she did that later. Right now, she’s focused on Beca.

 

Beca whines in pain on the ground until Chloe walks over and sticks out her hand. Emily watches as Chloe helps her fellow Bella up and wraps her arm around her. Emily follows behind Chloe as she leads Beca towards the dining hall for dinner.

* * *

The food at the Lodge of the Fallen Leaves certainly leaves something to be desired. Emily laughs loudly as Stacie takes the opportunity for the pun and runs with it. She stirs her mashed potatoes around with her fork as she tries to figure out what exactly the meat next to them is supposed to be. She wonders how Aubrey gets corporate entities to pay for this sludge. Perhaps the food is better when it isn’t free.

 

“What’s wrong babe?” Chloe asks as she takes the seat next to Emily and wraps her arm around the young girl’s shoulders.

 

Emily is silent. She’s not sure she should say what she’s thinking out loud. She’s upset and it isn’t just about the terrible meal in front of her.

 

“You can tell me,” Chloe prods, giving her a squeeze.

 

Emily sighs, “I didn’t like seeing you and Beca fight.”

 

“Because we’re Bhloe?” Chloe mimics Amy’s Australian accent as she says it.

 

“Because Beca has been there for me, for us for the last 4 years and I’m afraid of what happens if she leaves. She makes you happy Chloe, like seriously happy. You’ve always been a bubbly person but it’s like a whole other level when you’re with Beca.”

 

Chloe blushes.

 

“Can we talk about this later?” she whispers in Emily’s ear.

 

“Why? Because you’re afraid that I’m right and that if Beca leaves you lose one of the most important people in your life. I’m not saying that because she’s one of your best friends or the Captain of the Bellas either.”

 

Emily rarely gets upset like this and she can see the flash of worry in Chloe’s eyes. It is out of character for her to yell at Chloe but she’s angry and she can’t help it.

 

“Em, let’s go outside.”

 

Emily follows Chloe outside without protest. No sense causing a scene and disrupting everyone’s dinner. She sees Chloe mouth to Beca that everything is okay and she doesn’t need her to follow them.

 

Chloe takes a seat on a rock outside the dining hall. Emily doesn’t follow suit. She stands and stares, arms crossed.

 

“Emily, everything is going to be fine. Beca isn’t leaving and we are going to figure this out and win at Worlds. I’m sorry if you’re on edge after this afternoon. I didn’t mean to get carried away and yell at Beca like that. I know she means a lot to you.”

 

Emily pretty much ignores everything Chloe just said. She’s got a one-track mind and she still has something she wants to get off her chest.

 

"Chloe I have known you my entire life and I have never seen you not take a chance on something, except for with Beca."

 

She notices as Chloe’s jaw falls slightly agape.

 

“I…I umm…”

 

Emily has rarely seen Chloe at a loss for words.

 

“You love her and you are so afraid of losing her as a friend that you won’t even tell her. She deserves to know. Wouldn’t you want to know if someone loved you?”

 

Chloe takes a deep breath before responding. She isn’t even quite sure what to say.

 

“She loves Jesse,” she says simply.

 

Emily has heard this song and dance before. She doesn’t buy it.

 

“What if she’s only with Jesse because she thinks you’re not interested?”

 

“What if she actually loves him?” Chloe fires back.

 

Emily takes a seat on the rock next to Chloe and puts her arm around her shoulder.

 

“Is that what you’re afraid of Chloe, that Beca doesn’t love you back?”

 

Chloe wipes away the single tear rolling down her cheek with her shirt. This isn’t how she envisioned their retreat at the Lodge of the Fallen Leaves. The Bellas were supposed to be discovering their sound; she wasn’t supposed to be confessing her love for Beca. She has pined over the other woman enough over the last four years; she doesn’t need this right now. She has Worlds to focus on; they have Worlds to focus on. Her complicated relationship with Beca should be the last thing on her mind, but like every other day it’s the only thing she can think of.

 

“I am so afraid that everything is in my head Emily. That I have imagined every touch, every laugh, every almost kiss. I’m afraid that I don’t mean as much to Beca as she means to me. I’m afraid that once she graduates I will just be a college memory for her. I want to be more than that but I am so afraid that I’m not that I don’t say anything.”

 

Emily smiles over at her. Chloe hasn’t been this honest about her feelings for Beca in a while. It has been Bellas this, or Bellas that for a long time. She would prattle on about the ICCAs until they got suspended, and then the World Championships when they got another chance.

 

Emily takes Chloe’s hand in hers and entwines their fingers. They need to get back to the other Bellas before they start getting nosy but they can sit out here for a few more minutes.

 

“If it means anything,” Emily starts after a few minutes of silence, “I think she loves you too. You don’t look at your friends the way Beca looks at you.”

 

Chloe just smiles, Emily isn’t sure she that she believes her but it was worth a shot.

* * *

 

Later that night they’re sitting around a campfire. Emily smiles as she looks around at the other Bellas. She never went to summer camp as a kid so this is kind of the next best thing.

 

She laughs as Amy regales them with a story about camping in Australia. Emily isn’t the only person who is mildly horrified as Amy tells them about the gigantic deadly spiders her father once killed with a broom. She’s very afraid of Australia in this moment but at least this time she is pretty sure Amy’s story actually happened.

 

They go around the circle and each Bella in turn talks about their fears and plans for the future, after Barden. Emily is just starting out at Barden so the future seems so far away. She listens as Beca tells them she’s afraid that she’s not really cut out to be a music producer even though that’s been her only dream since she was 12.

 

Emily is caught off guard when Beca admits that she wishes she could do what she does.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yeah, I mean you’ve got chops as a writer. Would you like, maybe want to collaborate with me some time?”

 

“Yes!” Emily practically shouts.

 

She smiles as Beca wraps her in a tight hug. She is so enamored by Beca’s talent; working with her is going to be a real treat. Chloe smiles at them from across the campfire.

 

When they reach Chloe she admits what Emily has known for years, she’s afraid. This is everything she has known for years. Emily gives her a wink as she resolves to finally graduate this year. Emily noticed a Russian Lit paper on the table at home last week with an A+ scrawled on it in red ink. She knew this was coming but she’s glad to hear Chloe finally say it.

 

When Chloe starts to sing she recognizes the song immediately. Chloe played it on repeat for weeks on end at one point. Emily didn’t know at first why she liked it so much but eventually Chloe told her it was Beca’s audition song. All of the other girls join in and Emily feels all warm and fuzzy inside. She’s been waiting for tonight, for the moment where she really and truly feels like a Barden Bella. She is not her mother’s daughter, she is not little Emily who tags along with Chloe, she is Emily Junk and she is a Barden Bella tonight.

 

As they walk from the campfire site back to their tent Emily notices Chloe’s hand. Her arm is dangling at her side, her fingertips so close to Beca’s they’re almost touching. She wants to hold her hand but she’s afraid to and Emily has never known Chloe to be afraid of physical touch. This is the girl who has admitted to getting close enough to Beca’s lips to make out on the night they first met. Something is different and Emily doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or not. If Chloe is nervous maybe she plans on confessing her feelings to Beca, at least that’s what Emily hopes.

 

She gets as comfortable as she possibly can in her sleeping bag on the cold, hard ground. As Emily drifts off to sleep she hears Chloe whispering.

 

“Beca, are you awake?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hit a bit of a roadblock with this story a couple weeks ago and didn’t know where I wanted to go with the cliffhanger. I know you’ve waited a while for this update my patient readers; hopefully it’s worth it. I have a better idea of the direction I want to take this story now so expect regular updates. I just want to thank everyone reading this story, thank you for your enthusiasm and kindness. If you have a moment to leave a comment or review it would really make my day, you can even send me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow).

Beca isn’t responding but Chloe wants to know if she’s just messing with her. She reaches out and touches her forehead gently, moving the hair out of her eyes. Beca flinches and her eyes pop open.

 

“What Chloe?” Beca snaps.

 

“Sorry, nothing. Never mind,” she stumbles over her words.

 

Chloe is suddenly very aware of her surroundings and of all the women around them. She’s not telling her like this, not now.

 

“You’re so weird,” Beca says, her voice much softer than seconds ago when she awoke.

 

Beca turns around, her back to Chloe’s front and tries to fall asleep. Chloe lies awake next to her. She didn’t say it, again. Didn’t tell her that she loves her and she’s loved her for years and she can’t imagine her life without her. That’s why she’s still at Barden. She’s not really there for the Bellas or for Emily really, she is a little bit but it’s mostly for Beca.

 

Chloe takes a deep breath; she’s starting to get a little annoyed. Why doesn’t Beca recognize her feelings without her having to shout from the rooftops? Is she not obvious, the touches, the late night conversations, the way she’s always just a little too close. She’s been within kissing distance of Beca’s lips far too many times for someone who is just a friend. Beca is oblivious and she’s kind of irritated now.

 

“Hey Chloe,” she hears Emily whisper.

 

“Yeah babe?”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“I know.”

 

Emily hugs her from behind and whatever anger was brewing inside her moments earlier has subsided. Maybe no one else understands but Chloe is glad she’s here for this, for Emily’s first year with the Bellas. She’ll miss this when she finally graduates, it’s time but she’ll still miss it. Maybe it will be fun though, getting to hear about Emily’s time with the Bellas without being an active participant. She’ll be good at it, great really, Chloe already knows that much. Emily was born to be a Bella. She twists around in her sleeping bag and gives Emily a kiss on the forehead.

 

“Goodnight Em.”

 

“Goodnight Chloe.”

* * *

 

Aubrey is yelling for them to get up just as the sun rises. Chloe can’t imagine why but it is Aubrey after all, she means well.

 

“You’ve got a long drive back to Barden ladies, time to start packing,” she shouts.

 

Chloe can hear Beca grunt in her sleeping bag and Amy yells what Chloe can only assume is an Australian curse word.

 

“She’s crazy,” Emily whispers in Chloe’s ear as she stands up and stretches.

 

“But you love her,” Chloe replies, winking at Emily.

 

A combination of throwing clothes back into bags and getting changed for the day ensues. Some of the Bellas have seriously over packed for a one-night retreat. She can’t fathom why Stacie brought 5 different bikinis with her. She can only assume that she thought there might be some gentlemen at the retreat but that doesn’t explain why she wore all 5 anyway when there wasn’t.

 

Chloe walks toward the mess hall hand in hand with Emily. Emily drops her hand when she realizes who is behind them and clearly trying to get closer to Chloe. She elbows Chloe gently and gestures for her to look behind them.

 

“Hey Chloe, wait up,” Beca’s voice comes out in almost a whine.

 

Chloe nods for Emily to go ahead without her and stops so Beca can catch up. It’s almost funny watching her try and run, she’s terrible at it but it’s also kind of adorable.

 

“Hey,” Chloe greets her when she finally catches up.

 

“Hey,” she says, trying to catch her breath. “Did you want to tell me something last night?”

 

Chloe doesn’t answer.

 

“I’m sorry I kind of blew you off, I was just tired.”

 

Chloe can’t help but feel bad for getting angry with Beca last night. She’s known Beca long enough to know that she’s a big fan of her sleep.

 

She sighs deeply and lies.

 

“No, I was just going to ask you if you’re excited for Worlds now.”

 

Beca raises an eyebrow and Chloe knows that she doesn’t buy it. Even still, she just shrugs.

 

“Yeah, I guess. I just need to come up with the set list now.”

 

She wants to tell her, she does. She’s just not ready. It’s so complicated, too complicated for Chloe. Her life has been full of complications and she’s not ready for another one. There’s Jesse and the fact that she is actually graduating and moving on. She and Beca are probably going in different directions and maybe if nothing has happened between them yet nothing is going to happen. She’s overthinking things. Either way, she’s not telling Beca today, she’s decided.

 

They walk toward the mess hall in silence. Chloe can tell that Beca wants to know what she was going to say but she won’t ask again. She even thinks Beca might want to say something herself but she doesn’t get her hopes up. To quote the wise Hermione Granger, Beca has the emotional range of a teaspoon.

 

As they make it to the mess hall Chloe pauses one more time. She could tell her, she could tell her right now and maybe, just maybe Beca would tell her she feels the same. Maybe Beca would leap into her arms and tell her that she’s loved her since the first day she met. Maybe she’ll kiss her and ask her why she didn’t say something sooner. Maybe, just maybe she’ll say she doesn’t love Jesse. Maybe she won’t break Chloe’s heart. Maybe isn’t good enough for Chloe though so she keeps walking.

 

Chloe sits down next to Emily and puts an arm around her. She can focus on Emily to take her mind off of Beca; it’s always worked before. Breakfast consists of what they think are supposed to be eggs and some sort of bacon substitute. Leave it to Aubrey to not even serve real bacon with breakfast, that would be too much fun. Chloe mostly just stabs at her plate, stirring the food around absentmindedly. She isn’t particularly hungry anyway.

* * *

 

After they finish eating “breakfast” Chloe starts to head for the bus. She’s so ready to leave, the trip has been emotional and she just wants to get home. She’s glad her Bellas have found their sound again, but if possible she’s even more confused about Beca than she was a couple days ago.

 

“Group hug!” Amy shouts when everyone reaches the bus and she throws her arms around Aubrey.

 

Chloe is being squished between Emily, Amy and Flo but she doesn’t really care. This is what being a Bella is all about.

 

“Thank-you Bree,” she says as the Bellas extract themselves from Amy’s grip.

 

“Yeah, thanks Aubrey,” Beca adds.

 

“Anytime, you know I’m always here for the Bellas.”

 

Chloe can’t imagine how the girls can be so loud on the ride back to Barden. Maybe next time they’ll have to do the obstacle course again to tire them out. Stacie is complaining loudly about her nails being ruined but every time she says something Flo makes a comment about her time back home; at least it shuts Stacie up. Amy is telling Cynthia Rose about a time back in Australia when she fought a human sized spider. This actually makes Chloe laugh, mostly because of the look on Cynthia Rose’s face. After all these years Chloe can’t believe anyone would take one of Amy’s stories seriously.

 

Emily is next to her writing in a notebook. She’s about to ask her what she’s up to when Beca beats her to it.

 

“Doing homework kiddo?” Beca asks and Chloe can see Emily cringe at her use of the word kiddo.

 

“No, I’m actually working on a song. I finally have some ideas to finish off ‘Flashlight’ after our retreat.”

 

Chloe waits for Beca to laugh at Emily’s enthusiasm but is surprised instead.

 

“That’s awesome Em, I can’t wait to hear it. I’m taking you into the studio when we get back.”

 

She watches as Beca wraps an arm around Emily’s back and gives her a squeeze. Underneath the nonchalant badass that Beca usually pretends to be is a much sweeter Beca. This is the Beca that Chloe can’t stop herself from wanting so bad it hurts.

 

Chloe spends the rest of the ride back to Barden listening to Emily tell them about her songs. She even sings a little bit for them and Chloe is so in awe of her. Chloe has known Emily her entire life but she grows to appreciate what a wonderful young woman she is growing up to be more every day.

 

By the time they reach the Bella house Emily is asleep on her shoulder and Beca is asleep on Emily’s. It is so cute Chloe almost can’t contain herself. She gestures for Stacie to take a picture on her phone; she is definitely going to use this to blackmail Beca in future. After Stacie gets the photo she nudges Emily to wake her up.

 

“Hey Em, we’re back.”

 

Emily’s movement wakes Beca up and the loud chatter that had died down on their drive back starts up again. Chloe should be used to this by now, she’s been around these girls for years and they are chatterboxes, every last one of them.

* * *

 

Chloe and Emily start to make their way to her car before being stopped by a hand on Chloe’s arm.

 

“You could stay here tonight?” Beca offers.

 

It’s late and they still have classes to go to in the morning, the offer is tempting though.  

 

Chloe chokes down the nerves bubbling up in her throat, “We should really get home, nothing like sleeping in your own bed after a trip right?”

 

She laughs nervously. She knows if they stay she’ll end up in Beca’s room and she really doesn’t know if she can handle that tonight.

 

“Come on Chlo, the kid looks tired and you have a Russian lit paper to finish up.”

 

Beca has her there; Emily is practically falling asleep on her shoulder as they stand in the driveway of the Bella house.

 

“Okay,” she nods, “Bella sleepover.”

 

The way Beca smiles as she says this gives her hope. She’s beaming; she wants Chloe to stay tonight. This is Beca making an effort. She smiles back, winking at Beca as they walk toward the front door.

 

When they make it inside Chloe can’t help but laugh. The rest of the Bellas are in their pyjamas already and are engaged in an intense pillow fight. Emily runs immediately into the fray and grabs a pillow, whacking Amy in the head and laughing as she tries to turn around to see who hit her. Stacie throws Chloe a pillow and beckons for them to join the fun. Chloe grabs the pillow and hits Stacie’s bare legs.

 

“Come on Beca,” she yells, “you know you love it.”

 

Beca just stares for a moment and shakes her head, Chloe smiles when she sees Beca crack a smile. She runs toward her and whacks her gently over the head with her pillow. As she goes to run back into the heart of the fight Beca grabs her from behind, wrapping her arms around Chloe’s waist.

 

“Not so fast Beale,” she warns as she starts to tickle the red head.

 

Chloe tries to speak but can’t stop laughing, “You…don’t…fight…fair…Beca,” she breathes out between laughs.

 

They fall down onto the couch; Beca ends up on top facing Chloe. She has her pinned down and Chloe can’t handle how close her lips are. She can feel Beca’s breath warm on her face. She smells like a mixture of cinnamon and the lilac shampoo she always uses. It’s the shampoo Chloe always uses, Beca liked it so much the first time she smelt it on Chloe she started using it herself. Chloe swallows, she has always been comfortable being close to Beca but this feels different. She is confronted with both the overwhelming urge to kiss her and to run. She chooses to run.

 

Chloe pushes Beca off of her gently, rolling her onto the couch and standing up. If she’s not mistaken she thinks she hears a disappointed groan escape Beca’s lips. She’s disappointed in herself. She could have just kissed her right there. She’s never been afraid of public displays of affection before and she is pretty sure at least half of the Bellas are betting on when she and Beca will get together. Another missed opportunity, she’s like 0 for 5 at this point in the week. Every time Beca opens the door she slams it shut. It’s so unlike her but she can’t help it.

* * *

 

“I uh, really need to work on my paper. Cynthia Rose do you mind if I work in your room?”

 

“Go ahead,” Cynthia Rose offers.

 

Chloe grabs her bag with her computer and heads to the bedroom just off the kitchen. She cringes when she hears a knock on the bedroom door shortly after she sits down. Please don’t be Beca is all she can think. Part of her wants so badly for Beca to have followed her, but the rest of her doesn’t want to talk to her right now. She’s not ready to say everything that her heart can’t help but feel.

 

“Hey,” comes a voice and Chloe breathes a sigh of relief when she turns to see Stacie in the door way.

 

“Hey Stacie,” she greets her.

 

Stacie takes a seat on the bed and waits for Chloe to join her. She knows she will; Chloe is the queen of the heart to heart talk.

 

“I don’t think I have to tell you I know you love Beca.”

 

Chloe sighs, of course she does. She’s so obvious to everyone but Beca apparently.

 

“I want to stop wanting her Stacie,” Chloe manages to choke out, she’s already starting to cry and Stacie hasn’t even said anything yet.

 

“No you don’t, you just want her to want you back.”

 

Stacie wraps an arm around Chloe’s shoulders and gives her a squeeze.

 

The tears are now rolling down her cheeks and she can’t help them. Stacie is right, she’s a genius; of course she’s right. Stacie reaches up to wipe the tears from Chloe’s face with the sleeve of her pyjamas. She’s never noticed before how good Stacie smells. She’s always been so focused on Beca she missed the gentle scent of spring flowers and Downey, Stacie must use a lot of fabric softener.

 

She laughs through the tears, “I want her to want me back so much it hurts.”

 

It’s the first time she’s actually said that to anyone other than Emily. Every time she tells someone else it helps her to accept it herself. She doesn’t want to stop loving Beca, to stop hurting over loving Beca; she just wants Beca to love her back.

 

“I know,” Stacie says nodding, “I know what that feels like.”

 

Chloe can’t imagine that Stacie has any idea what it feels like. She could have any guy she wants, and she’s pretty sure she has gotten every guy she’s ever wanted. She doesn’t say anything though; Stacie is just trying to be nice. No use driving her away when all she wants to do is help.

 

She’s very aware of how close Stacie is when she breathes in and can taste the daisies on her lips. She swallows hard.

 

It takes a second for her to register the fact that Stacie’s lips are now pressed against her own. She thinks about pushing her away, breaking their contact and running out of the room. Then she thinks about how much she doesn’t want to. Chloe tangles her hands up in Stacie’s hair and kisses her back. Her lips taste like peppermint, her favourite. She wonders if she did that on purpose, she knows how much Chloe likes peppermint.

 

Before she knows it she’s laying down, her bare skin rubbing against the soft sheets. Her top has been discarded on the floor and Stacie’s is lying next to it. Everything is warm, Stacie’s chest against hers and their lips still touching. She wants to take a breath but she doesn’t want to stop feeling Stacie’s lips on her own. She can’t believe they’re doing this, but she stops caring as Stacie starts to kiss her way down her neck.

* * *

 

The bright sun shines through the curtains in Cynthia Rose’s room and Chloe blinks, it’s almost blinding. She takes note of her surroundings; she almost forgot she stayed over at the Bella house last night. Memories of the night come flooding back when she rolls over and sees Stacie lying next to her. She’s still sleeping and still very much topless. Chloe watches as her chest rises and falls. She’s never really appreciated how incredibly gorgeous Stacie is. She’s always been hot but she’s really very beautiful and Chloe admires the way she looks when she’s sleeping.

 

As she lies in the bed it hits her though, she slept with Stacie last night. That is so not the way she needed to deal with her feelings for Beca. She wishes she could forget about it but the fact is Stacie is still lying right next to her, and they’re still stuck in this room. She starts to panic when it hits her; they need to get out of this room without inviting questions. With all of the Bellas outside that door that might be impossible.

 

She gets up and looks down at the floor, looking for her shirt. It’s still tangled up with Stacie’s. She grabs her bra, fumbling to get it on before pulling her shirt over her head. She tries to swear as quietly as possible when she stubs her toe on Cynthia Rose’s desk but it’s enough to wake the other woman in the room.

 

“Morning Chlo,” Stacie breathes out lazily.

 

“Morning Stacie, any idea how we get out of here without getting caught by the rest of the Bellas?”

 

Stacie laughs, “I’ve got that covered Red, I sent Cynthia Rose a text and asked her to make something up. She told them she fell asleep on the couch after a jam session with Emily last night and told me to stay with you because you seemed upset.”

 

“Not entirely inaccurate,” Chloe muses, “thank you.”

 

“No problem Chloe, anything for you.”

 

Chloe smiles over at her, she’s never appreciated Stacie’s friendship as much as she does in this moment.

 

“Also, this doesn’t have to mean anything,” Stacie assures her.

 

Chloe isn’t sure what to say to that, she doesn’t want to stay it doesn’t but it doesn’t. She still loves Beca and Stacie was just there and she was sad and Stacie is hot. She feels bad for using her like that, but she has a feeling there’s more to what Stacie said last night. She might have her own Beca, but that will have to wait for another day.

 

“Hey,” Beca greets her as Chloe emerges from Cynthia Rose’s room.

 

She’s seated at the island in the kitchen sipping on coffee. Chloe smiles when she sees another mug already across from her. She knows it’s for her.

 

“Thanks,” Chloe says, picking up the mug and lifting it to her mouth.

 

She watches as Stacie walks out of Cynthia Rose’s room. She’s fully dressed and her hair looks absolutely perfect, it actually makes her kind of jealous.

 

“Morning Stacie,” Beca calls out to her.

 

Chloe is relieved that she apparently suspects nothing. It is probably the first and last time Chloe will be grateful that Beca is so oblivious. She doesn’t want last night to complicate things even further, even though it definitely should. Stacie is perhaps the only person though who Chloe can count on to not let sex complicate things. She takes another sip of her coffee and winks across the island at Stacie who is pouring herself a cup. Stacie scrunches up her face and sticks out her tongue, Chloe just laughs. Last night may not have meant anything to her but it was actually really fun. It might be slightly harder to forget about than Chloe would like. Stacie is that good.

 

It is only when Emily walks into the room that it hits Chloe just how complicated this makes things. It’s the first time in her entire life that she thinks about lying to Emily. Last night may not mean anything to Chloe and Stacie but it will mean something to Emily if she tells her. She gives Emily a kiss on the cheek as she sits down. She might have to tell her some day but today is not that day.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens in this chapter so I hope it doesn’t feel too busy. There were a few heated reactions to the Chacie hook up in the last chapter, and I hope this update sheds a little more light on what happened there. I really appreciate everyone who is reading this and has taken the time to leave feedback, heated or otherwise. If you have a moment I would love if you left a review or comment or sent me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow) with your thoughts, it always makes me smile.

Chloe sits on the swing on the porch of the Bella house. It’s late afternoon and the warm breeze whips through her fiery red locks. Chloe knows how rare it is to have alone time at the Bella house. At this point it’s just a matter of who will find her first, Beca, Stacie or Emily. As long as it isn’t Amy she’ll be fine. She’s not sure if she was a spy back in Australia or what but that girl has a knack for knowing everything. Chloe really doesn’t want to explain what she was doing in Cynthia Rose’s room with Stacie last night or why.

 

She’s relieved when Stacie walks out through the front door and onto the porch. She’s wearing short shorts and a crop top and quite frankly Chloe is surprised that last night didn’t happen sooner.

 

“Hey,” Stacie greets her, taking a seat next to her on the swing.

 

“Hey,” Chloe shoots her a reassuring smile.

 

“I’m sorry,” Stacie starts, “things went too far last night and I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

 

Stacie looks sadder than Chloe has ever seen her and she feels bad.

 

“You don’t have to apologize Stacie. I’m a grown up and if I didn’t want to I would have said no. I was stone cold sober; I knew what I was doing. You didn’t take advantage of me if that’s what you think. Did I do it for the wrong reasons? Sure, but so did you.”

 

Stacie looks at her confused, raising an eyebrow and just staring.

 

“What are you talking about?” she asks.

 

“I like peppermint because Aubrey likes peppermint,” Chloe starts in on what Stacie can tell will be a lengthy explanation.

 

“She always used to have peppermint candles and air freshener and gum. She always smells of peppermint when she hugs me. You were wearing peppermint lip balm yesterday for Aubrey. It also explains the bikinis you brought to the retreat; you didn’t actually think there would be any guys there. You were just hoping to catch Aubrey’s eye. It took me a while to figure it out but Stacie Conrad I’m pretty sure you have a crush on one Aubrey Posen.”

 

Chloe finishes and Stacie’s jaw won’t shut. She has been the most subtle she’s ever been in her entire life and Chloe still figured it out.

 

“Well aren’t you a regular Sherlock Holmes,” Stacie jokes.

 

“I guess it just takes one girl who is hopelessly in love a girl she can’t have to know one.”

 

As soon as Chloe sees the hurt look on Stacie’s face she regrets her choice of words.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” she starts but Stacie cuts her off mid sentence.

 

“I get it. I fell for your straight best friend and I need to get over her, preferably without sleeping with any of my other friends. I think you actually have a chance with Beca though; you just have to tell her how you feel. If that girl is anything but bisexual than I’m a zebra.”

 

Chloe laughs at the notion, though she’s pretty sure Stacie is right.

 

“Last week she was hanging out by the pool at the Treble house and I came over for a swim in my pink bikini, you know the one with the flowers? She almost fell off her chair. Jesse had to stop her from falling. I may have winked at her just to throw fuel on the fire.”

 

Chloe smiles thinking about the goofy look Beca must have had on her face. She puts her arm around Stacie, rubbing her shoulder to comfort her friend.

 

“You know I wouldn’t count Aubrey out completely. You are a fantastic catch, you’re smart and funny, kind and drop dead gorgeous and if you don’t mind my saying it, you’re really good in bed.”

 

“What? Whose really good in bed?” comes a voice.

 

Chloe chokes when she hears the Australian accent.  Emily and the rest of the Bellas are following Amy and she so hopes they didn’t hear any more of their conversation.

 

“Hugh Jackman probably,” Stacie says with a smile.

 

“Oh yeah definitely,” Amy agrees and Chloe breathes a sigh of relief.

 

“Australian men are the best lovers,” Amy continues, “I’ve heard only good things about Russell Crowe too and I can tell you from experience that all of the Hemsworth brothers are very gentle.”

 

Chloe smiles over at Stacie and winks. Saved by another one of Amy’s insane stories about her homeland.

 

“Where are you all headed anyway?” Chloe asks as the Bellas file out of the house and head for the bus.

 

“Shopping for Copenhagen,” Emily answers excitedly, “we need new outfits and some umbrellas and rain boots.”

 

“I thought it was sunny in Copenhagen though?” Chloe asks, genuinely shocked.

 

Stacie just stares at her and laughs. “It’s a good thing you’re not planning on becoming a geography teacher babe.”

* * *

 

As the Bellas clamber onto the bus Chloe notices that once again Beca is nowhere to be found. She looks around hopefully but her face falls when Beca doesn’t climb on before Ashley starts the engine.

 

“She’s at her internship,” Emily confirms what Chloe was already thinking.

 

The internship she failed to tell her best friend about. The one that has been taking up all of her time and that she apparently only felt comfortable enough to share with Jesse. Maybe she really does love him. Chloe shakes the thought from her mind. She can’t think about whether or not Beca’s feelings for her boyfriend are genuine or not right now, they have worlds to plan for.

 

Chloe watches as Emily twirls around in the blue dress she has on. She smiles wide at her as she launches forward to wrap her in a hug.

 

“You look so pretty babe,” Chloe gushes.

 

“Yeah, looking hot Em,” Stacie chimes in.

 

“Hey, my baby is not hot Stacie,” Chloe argues playfully, “she’s a sweet little cinnamon roll who isn’t going to date until she’s 30. Right babe?”

 

Stacie snorts. “No way she’s making it to 30 without a date looking like that. Bad news Chloe, your baby girl is all grown up and I have a feeling Benji has noticed too.”

 

Emily elbows Stacie and the look on her face is enough to make the rest of the Bellas burst out laughing. She looks more like a beet with hair at this point. It’s kind of adorable, though Emily would hate it if she said that out loud.

 

Chloe presses a kiss to Emily’s cheek, “I love you so much.” 

 

The red color slowly fades from Emily’s face. “I love you too,” she says, “now can we please stop embarrassing me?”

 

Cynthia Rose speaks up next, “well I don’t think that dress will work for us for worlds but you should definitely get it for graduation. Conrad is right, you look hot.”

 

Emily looks down at the price tag grimacing. Money has never been an issue for Emily or Chloe but still this dress is way more than she’s ever considered spending on an item of clothing before. Chloe grabs the tag when she sees the frown on Emily’s face. She now understands her expression.

 

“Go for it,” she whispers in Emily’s ear. “You will only get a few chances in your life to dress like a princess. Though you’re totally a princess in jeans every other day of your life, trust me.”

 

Emily smiles and hangs the dress over Chloe’s arm as she begins to look around the store for an outfit for the Bellas. Chloe’s comment about jeans has given her an idea; she just hopes she can find the right piece to bring it all together.

 

She knows she’s got it right when the rest of the Bellas can’t stop smiling. It’s a simple white t-shirt with jeans but she’s paired it with a vest in Bella blue and her scarf. All of the Bellas can pull this off; it’s simple and perfect, just like they’re going to be at worlds. After beating DSM at their own game didn’t work the Bellas were intent on going back to basics. There’s nothing more basic than a classic t-shirt and jeans. Now that they’ve got their outfits, they just need their music.

* * *

“Hey Beca,” Ashley yells from the kitchen as Beca walks through the door.

 

Ashley, Jessica and Cynthia Rose are preparing dinner while the rest of the girls are over at the Treble house for a swim. They watch as Beca throws her bag on the floor and slumps down onto the couch. Cynthia Rose is about to walk over to see what’s up when she sees Chloe come in through the back door. She waits knowing that Chloe will head straight for Beca, smiling when she sees that she’s right.

 

“Beca,” Chloe shouts as she sits down on the couch, her hand winding through Beca’s hair.

 

“I’m not in the mood right now Chloe,” she huffs.

 

“Rough day at the office?” she asks, not waiting for a response. “You know you can talk to me right?”

 

Beca sighs deeply. It’s been four years and Beca still has her moments where getting information from her is like breaking into Fort Knox.

 

“I just don’t know what to do. I need to prove to the big shot producer that I have my own voice and I’m not even sure that I do.”

 

“Beca you have a lot of talent, you just have to stop being afraid to fail,” Chloe reassures her.

 

“Easier said than done Chlo, it’s way too easy to fail.”

 

“I thought you were going to collaborate with Emily. Take her into the studio. That kid is a ray of sunshine and a ball of talent.”

 

Beca sits up running her fingers through her hair. “Do you know if she has class tomorrow? I really need to give him another demo and soon.”

 

“She’s free,” Chloe says smiling, “and I’m sure she’ll be excited to help in any way she can.”

* * *

Emily is up bright and early the next morning and Beca can’t fathom how she can be so perky. Beca wants to get into the studio before any of her co-workers arrive. She’s not technically allowed to use the studio without permission but this is important. She needs a new demo or her career as a music producer is going to be over before it even starts.

 

“Wow,” Emily says a little too loudly for Beca.

 

“Shhh, get in the booth and don’t touch anything.”

 

Emily happily obliges and Chloe is totally right about the whole ray of sunshine thing. The kid could make her smile even on her crappiest day. Just seeing her in the booth so happy has Beca pumped about this collaboration. It’s a risk but like Chloe said, she has to stop being afraid to fail. At least if he doesn’t like this demo she can hold her head up high and walk out of the studio knowing she put her whole heart into it.

 

Emily sings her song “Flashlight” like a pro and Beca can tell already that this is going to turn out well. Even if her production is total crap Emily sounds like a star.

 

“You’re doing great kiddo,” Beca shouts.

 

She follows it up with a “sorry” when Emily pouts over the word kiddo.

 

“You’re doing great Emily,” she corrects herself, “such a big girl,” she teases.

 

When Beca is satisfied with the takes she waves Emily out of the booth. Emily stares at her in awe as she works. After putting the finishing touches on the track Beca hits play and both girls are beyond ecstatic with the result.

 

“It sounds amazing Beca,” Emily enthuses, “I can’t believe I’m actually singing my song on a professional track. I will go down in history as the first artist famous music producer Beca Mitchell ever worked with.”

 

Beca smiles at the notion, “let’s not get ahead of ourselves there Em.”

 

An hour later Beca’s boss walks into the room and he’s staring the girls down.

 

“What do we have here?” he asks and Emily can’t tell if he’s annoyed that they’re in his studio or not.

 

“Uh...umm,” Beca stumbles over her words.

 

“Beca has a track she wants to play for you,” Emily speaks up, “she produced it and it’s really good.”

 

“The little girl has faith in you Reggie, you should keep her around.”

 

Emily makes a face as he says the words little girl but doesn’t say anything. Now is not the time to defend her honor.

 

“Yeah, I will. I’m kind of attached to her.”

 

Emily smiles over at her, she’s kind of attached to Beca too.

 

“So,” he speaks up again, “let’s hear it then. If it was worth breaking into my studio it better be good.”

 

Beca hits play cautiously, he could very well hate this and she’s not really ready for another round of rejection.

 

His face is way too hard to read. He doesn’t say anything; he doesn’t even make a noise or move his face the entire time. It’s weird to watch actually and Emily is starting to get uncomfortable when he finally speaks up.

 

Beca’s jaw is on the floor after he gives his critique. He actually really likes it; he might have even loved it judging by his reaction. She might be cut out to be a music producer after all. When he asks her to stay in Atlanta and work with him after school she makes a noise that Emily can only laugh at. It’s almost inhuman.

 

Emily stands by the car, as Beca thanks the producer no less than 27 times. She even hugs him awkwardly.

 

“We did it Em,” Beca beams when she finally gets in the car.

 

“You did it Beca, I just lent you my voice. You could have sung it yourself you know, you have a pretty good voice of your own.”

 

“Emily you wrote that song. You should seriously think about songwriting after school, maybe move to LA or Nashville even.”

 

Emily shrugs, “I can’t leave Chloe and I definitely want to finish school first.”

 

“She’ll go with you,” Beca assures her, “she’ll do anything for you.”

 

Emily knows she’s right. Chloe has devoted years of her young life to Emily’s well being. Chloe would follow her to the ends of the earth and back.

* * *

 

It’s late when they finally make it back to the Bella house. They stopped for burgers at Emily’s favourite place on the way back, Beca’s treat for all of her help. Whether Emily will admit it or not Beca never could have done it without her. Thank you Emily Junk will definitely be the first line in the liner notes of any album she produces in future, she can promise that much.

 

Emily walks into the living room and can’t help but notice that it looks like a tornado has blown through the place. There are clothes everywhere and a stack of suitcases in the corner that definitely can’t be safe. When Emily remembers what day it is she realizes what the mess is about. They leave for Denmark in the morning and not one of them appears to be fully packed yet.

 

“Hey Em,” Chloe calls out to her, “how did it go?”

 

“Beca here is going to be a superstar,” she says confidently and Beca blushes.

 

“Way to go Beca,” Cynthia Rose shouts, starting off a round of congratulations.

 

“I just have an opportunity to work at the label after school, I’m hardly going to be a superstar,” she says sheepishly, she’s never been one to want to be the center of attention.

 

“You’re going to be a big shot producer, even though you’re so tiny,” Amy proclaims, “Get used to it.”

 

Beca smiles. They’re getting ahead of themselves but Beca doesn’t know what she would have done over the last four years without these girls. She’ll miss them, at least the ones that don’t stay in Atlanta. In this moment she finally understands why Chloe failed Russian Lit the past three years. This is her family and they’re Beca’s too. She loves them even when she hates them and nothing is going to be the same next year.

 

“Hey,” Chloe says moving in closer to Beca.

 

A single tear is rolling down Beca’s cheek and of course Chloe would notice.

 

“Everything is going to be great. I’m going to graduate, we’re going to win worlds and you’re going to be a big shot producer some day. It’s kind of perfect.”

 

“Thank-you,” Beca says, throwing her arms around the other woman and hugging her tight.

 

It’s a rare moment of affection from Beca. Chloe can’t help the air that escapes her throat. She wraps her own arms around Beca and squeezes, she doesn’t want to let go.

 

When Beca releases her from their embrace Chloe is smiling from ear to ear.

 

“The other plus of course of staying in Atlanta,” Chloe says jovially, “is that you are stuck with Emily and I.”

 

“Gladly,” Beca says smiling, “what would I ever do without my favourite red head and little Emily.”

 

Emily doesn’t even grunt this time when Beca calls her little. She’s far too excited that Beca is sticking around town to care.

 

The Bellas spend the next few hours furiously shoving clothes into suitcases. Emily laughs as Amy sits on hers in an attempt to force it closed. She’s never going to get that thing through airport security. The gigantic umbrella adorned with kangaroos is just going to have to stay in the U.S., it’s not like Amy hasn’t packed 3 other umbrellas in her bag already. She’s been paranoid ever since Emily informed her that it rains in Copenhagen all the time, something about melting her precious Australian skin.

* * *

It’s after midnight when the Bellas start clearing out of the living room, packed suitcases lined up in front of the door. Emily watches as they file out in twos, Cynthia Rose and Stacie, Jessica and Ashley, Amy and Flo and head toward their rooms. It’s just Beca, Chloe and herself left in the room and all of the sudden there is something she really needs in her room. She calls for Flo and Amy to wait up and runs out of the room leaving Beca and Chloe alone on the couch.

 

“You know Chloe, I’m glad you failed Russian Lit three times.”

 

“Thank you, I guess,” Chloe says giving her friend a weird look.

 

“I just mean I don’t know if I would have stayed at Barden if you weren’t here with me. I’d probably be a starving artist on the streets of LA and I mean literally on the streets. I needed these last three years. Even if I don’t always tell you, you mean a lot to me. I just thought you should know.”

 

Chloe is in tears by the time Beca finishes. She can’t help it; she’s always been a cry at the drop of a hat kind of girl.

 

“Beca I..I uh…I have something to tell you.”

 

“Shoot Chlo; I am all ears for my favorite red head.”

 

“I love you,” the words are out of her mouth before she can stop herself again. “I love you, and I don’t mean as a friend.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I first just have to say thank you for being so patient my dear readers. I went on vacation for a few weeks and left you with a crazy cliffhanger. I’m back though and I do this update will be worth the wait. I really and truly appreciate each reader who is following and supporting this story. If you have a moment to leave a review or comment or to send me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow) I really would appreciate it. Any feedback really puts a smile on my face and motivates me so much.

It’s so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and Chloe can hear Beca gulp nervously as soon as the words escape her lips. They’re both silent for a few seconds. Chloe wishes she could read Beca better than she can in this moment; her face is expressionless. She exhales as a hand reaches up to wipe the tears from her face. Beca’s hands are on either side of her cheeks and this is the moment she has been waiting for; it’s been 4 long years. She can feel Beca’s breath warm on her face, she’s breathing so fast. She waits a few seconds longer for Beca’s lips to touch her own but she’s left cold when they don’t reach her.

 

Beca exhales sharply, “I…uh…I wish I could say I don’t love you back Chloe. It’s too complicated….I…uh…um goodnight.”

 

With that Beca is up and practically sprinting out of the living room. Chloe can hear the other girl sniff as tears begin to fall but she’s gone before Chloe can even think about following her. She sits alone in the silence of the night. Beca’s response is almost too much for her to process. She doesn’t not love her, which is what she wanted, but not like this. Chloe has dreamt of this moment for years now and the first time she told Beca she loves her was going to be magical; it should have been anyway. She was waiting for her enthusiastic “I love you too” and for Beca to kiss her like she’s never been kissed. She wanted to be over the moon, instead she’s sitting in the living room of the Bella house and she’s never felt more alone.

* * *

It takes a second for Chloe to notice that Emily is now sitting next to her, a comforting hand on her leg. She can’t help but smile as Emily presses a kiss to her cheek and rests her head on her shoulder. They sit like this for a while. Chloe doesn’t have to say anything. It would have been hard for Emily to miss Beca running out of living room in tears, sniffling on her way to her bedroom. She almost wanted to stop her, ask her what the problem was, ask her why she doesn’t feel the same about Chloe. She didn’t though because Beca was obviously torn up about it. Emily has never been one to kick someone while they’re down and Emily has never seen Beca in worse shape.

 

“She’ll regret this,” Emily speaks up and Chloe doesn’t expect it from her. Her words are almost cold.

 

“She’s going to wake up one day and you’re not going to be there and she’ll regret not loving you back when she had the chance.”

 

Emily pauses, slightly taken a back when Chloe just starts crying again.

 

“Sorry,” she adds awkwardly, “I was trying to cheer you up.”

 

Chloe is still silent as Emily wipes away her tears with her sleeve.

 

“She does,” Chloe manages to get out between sobs.

 

“What?” Emily asks, genuinely confused.

 

“She does love me back, she just doesn’t want to.”

 

The sigh Emily lets out says everything. When she saw the tears on the faces of both women she expected to find out that Beca loves Jesse. She didn’t expect to hear that Beca does love Chloe. Really she doesn’t understand how she can love her and walk away like that.

 

“I uh…I’m…” Emily stumbles out.

 

“It’s okay Em, you don’t always have to know what to say,” Chloe assures her.

 

Emily just laughs, “you always do.”

 

Chloe puts an arm around her shoulders and hugs her tight. Emily is just glad she has a smile on her face that isn’t threatening to break apart at any second.

 

“Love you Em,” Chloe says cheerfully, pressing a kiss to Emily’s cheek.

 

“Love you too Chloe.”

 

“Bed?” Chloe says, though it’s only sort of a question.

 

“Bed,” Emily nods.

* * *

 

Emily has never understood why you have to be at the airport so ridiculously early for an international flight. They are just sitting around at the gate and all she wants is to get on the plane and go. Copenhagen and the World Championships are waiting for them and Emily can’t help the butterflies in her stomach. The Bellas have to win or there are no more Bellas. She also doesn’t know how much longer she can watch Amy and Flo bicker about whose country is worse. Amy seems to think that deadly snakes she has never personally encountered are worse than Flo’s immigration woes. Eventually they both decide that America is the worst and Emily just sighs deeply.

 

Her arm is starting to fall asleep but Emily can’t bring herself to move. Chloe has been asleep on her shoulder for half an hour and Emily doesn’t want to wake her. She knows she didn’t go straight to sleep when she left the living room last night. She knows she stayed up thinking about Beca, knows she cried herself to sleep. Emily has known Chloe for far to long to kid herself into thinking that Chloe is okay after last night. She won’t stop thinking about the words I wish I didn’t love you back falling from Beca’s lips. Chloe won’t stop thinking about the way the tears rolled down her cheeks as she said it. Chloe will never forget the way she ran instead of kissing her lips.

 

“It’s time to board,” Emily whispers in Chloe’s ear.

 

Emily can feel her startle awake at her words. She’s surprised Chloe stayed asleep this long in the noisy airport. Chloe’s always been a light sleeper but if she stayed up all night that would change things.

 

Emily watches as Beca bolts for the gate, she obviously wants to get on the plane and take a seat so she doesn’t have to make eye contact with Chloe. Beca’s assigned seat is next to Chloe but Emily has a feeling she’s already swapped with one of the other Bellas. Emily’s suspicions are proved right when she finally gets on the plane and Beca is sitting in between Amy and Cynthia Rose. Stacie is sitting in the window seat of their row when Chloe and Emily get there. She gives both of them a small smile. Emily knows it means that Stacie knows why she’s sitting there instead of Beca.

 

“I’m sorry,” Stacie says as soon as Chloe sits down.

 

Chloe doesn’t answer right away and Stacie stops talking. They don’t have to talk about it if Chloe doesn’t want to.

 

“She loves me back,” Chloe says decidedly more optimistically than last night.

 

“Oh?” Stacie’s eyebrows perk up, that obviously isn’t the story she heard from Beca.

 

“She loves me back and that means maybe someday, right?”

 

Chloe’s eyes are hopeful and neither Stacie nor Emily wants to see them filled with tears again, especially not on this very crowded plane to Denmark.

 

“Yeah,” Stacie nods, “it means maybe someday she’ll be ready to love you the way you deserve.”

 

Neither of them says anything more. Chloe’s optimism needs to stay in tact right now if they have any shot at winning Worlds. She is the sunshine of the Bellas and they need that to cut through the dark cloud that is Das Sound Machine.

 

“Are you going to tell Aubrey how you feel?” Chloe blurts out just over two hours into the flight.

 

She covers her mouth with her hand when she realizes that Emily is not nearly as engrossed in her movie as she thought. Emily is slack jawed and just kind of staring at them. Chloe can’t help it when she bursts out laughing and Stacie just follows suit. They probably look and sound a little ridiculous, laughing hysterically on an airplane 30 000 feet in the air.

 

“You like Aubrey?” Emily asks, feeling totally out of the loop.

 

Stacie takes a deep breath, trying as hard as it is to contain her laughter.

 

“I love Aubrey. I love the way her hair looks like sunshine and how she always smells of peppermint. I love how intensely passionate she is, it makes me smile and it’s also incredibly hot. I love how she would do anything for anyone and I wish she would do the same for herself,” Stacie finishes and the smile on her face tells Emily everything she needs to know.

 

“When you tell her,” Emily starts, “you should say that, all of it.”

 

Chloe nods in agreement, “Aubrey deserves someone who loves her that much.”

 

“So do you,” Stacie says, winking at her friend.

* * *

 

When they arrive at the airport in Copenhagen it’s raining, naturally. Chloe pulls an umbrella from her carry on and opens it as soon as they exit the terminal. She wraps an arm around Emily’s waist and pulls her close under the pink polka dotted umbrella. The Bellas laugh at Amy’s attempts to hail a cab. She’s putting on some sort of fake European accent that is decidedly not Danish but it seems to be working. Chloe is eager to hop in when two cabs pull up in front of them but she can’t help but notice that one Bella is missing. Beca is nowhere to be found and her absence is as obvious to Chloe as the rain now falling on her face. She hands her umbrella off to Stacie in the cab and tells the rest of the Bellas to go on without her.

 

She runs quickly back through the glass doors and into the terminal. She doesn’t really know where to start. She has nothing to go on, she doesn’t know where Beca is she just knows that she’s not here. She stands in her spot and looks all around her as far as she can see in every direction. She turns left hoping that it’s the right direction even though she has no idea where she’s going. The last thing she wants is to get further away from Beca, even if it feels like they’re a million miles apart already.

* * *

Chloe walks around the airport for a while, looking everywhere she thinks Beca might be. She’s not at any of the cafes, she’s not by the luggage carousel still, she’s not by security or even outside. When Chloe heads to the nearest bathroom she’s almost shocked when Beca is actually sitting on the floor. Her legs are pulled up to her chest and Chloe knows that she’s been crying. Chloe almost wonders if she’s stopped crying at all since last night when she ran.

 

Chloe slides down the wall and takes a seat next to Beca, crossing her legs in front of her. She doesn’t say anything; she doesn’t really know what to say just yet. She’s surprised when Beca speaks up first.

 

“Why do you love me?”

 

Chloe is taken a back by the question.

 

“If I could sum up why I love you in one sentence I wouldn’t love you as much as I say I do.”

 

Before she knows it her lips are pressed to Beca’s, her hands tangled in the brunette’s hair. It happened so fast she can’t remember who leaned in first. Beca’s tongue is in her mouth and she never wants to forget how she tastes. She forgets that she’s cold and wet as Beca begins to kiss down her neck, her warm hands tracing every inch of her body. This is what she’s been waiting for. She knows how cliché it is but fireworks on the 4th of July are nothing compared to this feeling swelling in her heart. She loves this girl and never wants to let her go. Then Beca lets go and Chloe is face to face with the blue eyes she’s gotten lost in one too many times.

 

“I’ve been with Jesse for 3 years,” she breathes out almost too quietly for Chloe to hear, like she doesn’t really want her to.

 

“Do you love him?” she asks, tears just starting to glisten in the corners of her eyes.

 

Don’t run again is all Chloe can think.

 

“I don’t know how to throw that away,” Beca cries out.

 

“Do you love him?” Chloe asks again.

 

Beca doesn’t answer.

 

Chloe doesn’t need her to say no to know how she feels, she just longs to hear her say it out loud.

 

“We should get to the hotel before the rest of the Bellas start to worry,” Beca says, changing the subject abruptly.

 

“Yeah,” Chloe just nods, it takes everything in her not to say something else, anything and everything else she wants to say to Beca.

 

Their cab ride to the hotel is silent. When they arrive she wants nothing more than to stop her from getting out of the cab. She wants to grab her and kiss her again and again. She wants to tell her everything she loves about her because even if it’s more than one sentence she doesn’t want to never have said it all out loud. She doesn’t though. Chloe sits silently and waits for Beca to exit the cab, she follows her out without a word and pays the driver.

* * *

 

They were supposed to share a room too. She can only assume Stacie will be sleeping in Beca’s spot when she reaches her room. Beca takes the stairs as Chloe waits for the elevator. It’s twenty floors up and Chloe can’t imagine Beca making it up without losing her breath half way up but she pretends she doesn’t care. It’s easier right now to pretend that she doesn’t care what Beca Mitchell does; even if she cares so much it hurts.

 

She sees that Stacie and Emily are cuddling on one of the double beds watching a movie when she enters the room. They don’t ask her where she’s been, they don’t have to; her tear stained cheeks spell Beca’s name.

 

“Want some popcorn?” Emily shouts from the bed.

 

“Always,” Chloe nods, faking a smile.

 

A second later Chloe’s wish is Emily’s command as a handful of popcorn comes flying at her face. As a real smile cracks across Chloe’s face Emily’s mission is accomplished. Since before she can remember she’s hated nothing more than to see Chloe crying.

 

“Tickle fight!” Chloe shouts as she launches forward toward the two women on the bed.

 

Emily howls in laughter as Chloe grabs her by the waist and begins to tickle her. She knows all of her weaknesses; Emily has been ticklish in the same spots since she was a kid. She flails her arms wildly as Stacie records the whole thing on her phone.

 

“If I ever need to blackmail the aca-child I now have my ammo,” she jokes.

 

Emily is breathless as she settles into one of the double beds with Chloe to sleep. They booked 4 people to a room but Emily, Stacie and Chloe are the only 3 occupants currently. Chloe smiles as she feels the warmth of Emily’s body wrapped around hers from behind.

 

“Don’t let her get away that easy,” Emily whispers.

 

Chloe just shakes her head. She doesn’t want to cry again. She’s spilled enough tears in the last 24 hours for Beca Mitchell. Dry eyes tonight, there will be enough tears shed tomorrow as the Bellas tackle what could be their last performance ever.

 

“Night Stacie,” Emily calls across the room.

 

“Goodnight kiddo, goodnight Chloe.”

 

Chloe can feel Emily cringe and fights to hold back her laughter. It takes her a while to fall asleep. She can’t stop thinking about all the things Beca said, and everything she didn’t. She doesn’t love Jesse; that much Chloe is sure of. She’s staying with him because she feels like it’s the right thing to do, because they’ve been together for 3 years, because it’s easy. Chloe wishes it were as easy for Beca to choose her. She wants to be that right for her, so right that she doesn’t have to think twice about being with her. Chloe wishes more than anything that she was the easy choice.

* * *

 

She tosses and turns, no doubt disturbing the young girl beside her. Everything was so simple yesterday. All she had to do was come to Copenhagen and sing her heart out with the Bellas. She’s made everything that much more difficult, distracted half the Bellas with her relationship drama and potentially ruined her friendship with Beca. She can’t bear the thought of Beca never being able to look her in the eye again. She can’t stomach the thought of never feeling Beca’s lips on her own again. She wants to throw up she’s so nervous, about everything.

 

She feels water on her face and she so doesn’t want to be crying again right now. When it comes from her forehead and not her eyes though she knows that it’s sweat. She bolts up and she’s freezing, a cold sweat enveloping her body. If this is what loving somebody feels like Chloe wonders why anyone wants to fall in love. The rest of her body aches almost as much the broken heart in her chest. Love sucks is all she can think. It sucks and it ruins everything; except it doesn’t. Loving Beca feels like rainbows and butterflies and everything she’s ever wanted, she is happier loving her even brokenhearted than she would be if she had never met her. She’s hopeless and all she can do now is pray to the aca-gods that she can forget about her aching heart long enough to beat DSM.

 

Chloe is still awake at 4AM when she hears a faint knock on the door. She can’t decide whether to pray that it’s Beca or pray that it’s not. She’s not really up for another emotional confrontation tonight. She climbs out of her bed careful not to disturb Emily who has finally fallen asleep.

 

She looks out of the peephole but it’s too dark to see the figure on the other side. She thinks they seem too tall to be Beca but who else would be knocking on their door at this hour.

 

“Hello?” Chloe says quietly, still trying not to wake the other two women in her room.

 

“Chloe let me in,” comes a brash voice, not at all trying to be quiet.

 

“Aubrey?” she asks far too loud and it’s a question she doesn’t even have to ask.

 

“What’s going on?” comes Stacie’s voice and Chloe curses under her breath because her attempt not to wake her has failed.

 

“Aubrey’s here,” she explains as if Stacie can’t see the tall blonde standing next to her.

 

It only takes another 30 seconds before Emily is up and the bright lights of the hotel room are all on; so much for getting a good night’s sleep before their big competition.

 

“Aubrey,” Emily shouts as she runs into the former Bella’s arms.

 

“Hey Em, sorry to wake you all up. My flight just got in and I figured I could climb in bed with Beca but I see she’s not here.”

 

Stacie shakes her head at Aubrey as if to tell her not to ask why. She takes the hint and the next words out of her mouth are so predictable.

 

“Well, let’s get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.”

 

“You can sleep with Emily,” Chloe offers, shooting a knowing glance in Stacie’s direction.

 

“I don’t mind sleeping with Stacie,” Aubrey says smiling, missing the deep sigh that escapes Stacie’s lips.

 

Without further comment Chloe climbs back into bed with Emily. She watches as Stacie watches Aubrey change into her PJs, which turn out to be just a pair of short shorts and a sports bra. She watches as Aubrey slides into bed next to Stacie and she knows that her skin is way too close to Stacie’s for her comfort. With Aubrey’s arrival Chloe knows she’s not the only one trying to sleep with an aching heart. She can brainstorm how to get the girl with Stacie another day. Tomorrow they just need to sing; better than they ever have before. If the rest of her world has been shaken up, she knows Beca’s plan for tomorrow is solid.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life has been crazy this last little while, busy but good. That’s part of why this update has been so long coming. I really do prefer to update weekly, but I just couldn’t. If you’ve been waiting ever so patiently so the next chapter, I really do appreciate it. Thank you for waiting, thank you for reading and thank you for the feedback. As always I would really appreciate it if you left your thoughts in a little comment or review after reading, or even send me a message on Tumblr (shesamarshmallow). It would make me smile, guaranteed.

The roar of the crowd is deafening, Chloe doesn’t think she’s ever heard anything like it. Das Sound Machine is obviously the crowd favourite. She almost wants to cry but now is not the time. If this is the end of the Bellas they’ve had a good run. Everything she’s done in the last seven years with the Bellas still means something. She needs to shake this line of thought though. The Bellas can’t be over. Even if Chloe is moving on there are still other girls who need the Bellas. There’s still Emily and the legacy she has dreamed of upholding all her life.

 

She’s shaken from her thoughts when she feels arms wrap around her from behind, squeezing her tight.

 

“Today’s the day,” Emily practically shouts in her ear.

 

“Today’s the day,” Chloe nods.

 

“Whatever happens,” Emily starts cautiously, “it’s all okay.”

 

Chloe is facing the young girl now and her unwavering smile might be the only thing that helps her get through today.

 

“The Bellas are going to win,” she says confidently, “we have so much more to lose than DSM.”

 

Emily just smiles, if Chloe can believe that, so can she.

 

“I’m going to go find Aubrey, want to come?”

 

Emily shakes her head; she’s looking for someone else.

* * *

She’s glad it’s not raining as she walks around the grounds. She doesn’t have very much time; the Bellas are scheduled to perform at the end of the show in just half an hour. Still though, she needs to satisfy her curiosity.  

 

“Ouch,” bursts from her lips as she runs right into something, or rather someone.

 

“Benji?” she asks, even when she can see that he’s standing right in front of her.

 

“I came to support the Bellas,” her answers the question she hasn’t yet asked.

 

He’s smiling like a goofball, and Emily kind of loves it.

 

“Thanks,” she smiles.

 

She doesn’t want her thoughts to drift away from this moment but she can’t help it. She knows that if Benji is there than Jesse is somewhere close by. He’s here for Beca. The last thing she wants is for Chloe to have to see Jesse in the audience as she performs with the Bellas for what may be the last time. She tries to shake the thought as Benji coughs, clearly to get her attention.

 

She laughs at his attempts at a magic trick. It’s cute, even if it’s cliché. In a second her lips are pressed to his. She can tell he wasn’t expecting it but he’s smiling as she pulls away.

 

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” she offers.

 

“Me too.”

 

This time it’s Benji leaning forward to catch her lips in a kiss and she’s surprised. She didn’t know he had it in him and she’s pleasantly surprised.

 

When she sees Beca over Benji’s shoulder she knows it’s time to go.

 

“Benji,” Beca greets him smiling.

 

It happens in a split second but Emily is pretty sure Beca winked at him too.

 

“I have to go,” Emily says as she walks toward Beca, “but I’d really like to do that again later.”

 

Benji just nods, the same goofy smile is plastered on his face as when she ran into him first.

* * *

 

She walks with Beca back toward the stage and the silence is deafening. She was looking for Beca when she went for her walk but now that she’s found her she doesn’t have the words. Anything she does say has the potential to distract Beca, to throw her off her game but she can’t resist. Chloe’s heart is a little more important than the Bellas winning a competition, even if sometimes they feel like one in the same.

 

They’re almost at the stage when she blurts it out, “are you going to marry him?”

 

“What?” Beca asks, shock spreading across her face.

 

Beca’s face has confusion written all over it. Emily is almost too worked up to explain.

 

“Jesse,” she almost spits out, “are you going to marry him?”

 

“Why are you asking me that?”

 

“You don’t want to leave him, because you’ve been together for so long. I guess I’m just asking if you’re just going to stay with him forever, even though you don’t love him.”

 

Emily’s words come out colder than intended but she’s upset on Chloe’s behalf.

 

“Whoa, where do you get off telling me I don’t love Jesse.”

 

There’s fire in Emily’s eyes now, she should just drop it but she can’t.

 

“Either you love Chloe and you’re too afraid to do anything about it, or you don’t love her and you’re messing with her head. Either way, you’re breaking her heart.”

 

Emily stalks away and heads for the stage, not giving Beca a chance to respond. She’s not sure she even wants to hear her answer.

* * *

 

As she takes her spot on the stage she notices Beca’s face. She made her cry and now she feels awful. She shouldn’t have yelled at her. Shouldn’t have accused her of not loving Chloe. She could have waited, but she didn’t. If the Bellas lose tonight, it might be her fault for throwing messing with Beca’s emotions. She takes a deep breath, and the spotlight is on them.

 

The crowd is going crazy as the stage lights up and the former Bellas join them on stage. Emily wants to look back and see Aubrey but she keeps looking forward; they’re almost done.

 

Emily can’t help but smile as she sees all the flashlights in the crowd; Jesse and Benji’s doing, no doubt. It takes everything in her not to cry. Even if this is the last performance she ever gets to do as a Bella, it was worth it.

 

The lights turn out and Emily takes a deep breath. It only takes a few seconds before Chloe’s arms are wrapped around her and there is a lot of screaming, most of it coming from their favourite Australian, Amy.

 

“We did it!” Chloe shouts, “and we couldn’t have done it without you Em.”

 

Now the tears are falling and she doesn’t even care. This is the moment she’s dreamed about her entire life. She can feel Chloe’s hands on her cheeks, wiping the tears away.

 

“Your mom would be proud,” Chloe whispers in her ear.

 

Emily smiles, she knows Chloe is right.

 

It takes Emily a minute to register but the cheering from her fellow Bellas confirms what she thought she heard. Das Sound Machine came in 2nd and the Bellas have won the World Championships. She can barely breathe in the middle of a massive Bella group hug. She doesn’t even care that Amy is literally screaming in her ear. Emily Junk gets to continue being a Barden Bella and all is right with the world, sort of.

 

She can’t help but notice that one Bella has cut the celebration short and run off, again. The rest of the Bellas are still jumping up and down on stage and Chloe has moved on to squealing with Aubrey over their win. No one will notice if she just slips away, at least if she comes back soon. Emily extracts her arm, the only part of her still stuck in the group hug and slinks off stage. She can see the trophy later, when they display it in the Bella house.

* * *

 

She runs down the stairs as quietly as she can, the last thing she wants to do is draw attention to herself. She doesn’t actually know where she’s headed, but Beca can’t have gotten that far yet.

 

“Damnit,” she yelps when she stubs her toe on something in the dark.

 

Her face drops when she looks up from her sore appendage. She cringes when she hears the unmistkable German accent of the figure in front of her.

 

“So baby Bella, your team of misfits has won this war,” the Kommissar says laughing heartily.

 

Emily wants to say something but every comeback that pops into her head is worse than one of Beca’s compliments.

 

“Don’t worry though,” her ever-present sidekick Pieter adds, “Deutschland will defeat you Americans next year in World War Two.”

 

Emily snorts; she can’t help the laugh that escapes her lips.

 

“I hope that works out for you as well as it did for Hitler,” she quips as she walks away. 

* * *

 

She walks around the perimeter of the field. If Beca is still in the area she’ll find her. Emily considers calling out Beca’s name, although if she were Beca after their last conversation she probably wouldn’t answer. It’s dark out here, far from the lights of the crowd’s flashlights. If she doesn’t find Beca in a few minutes, she’ll give up. Beca will have to come back to the group eventually; they fly home in the morning.

 

As she’s about to turn back to find the Bellas again she hears voices. Beca’s voice is easily recognizable. She stands behind the gates, out of sight. She probably shouldn’t listen to their conversation, if they wanted to be heard they wouldn’t be this far away from the crowd.

 

“I came all the way here to support you Beca, and you’re telling me you want to break up.”

 

Emily can hear Jesse’s voice quiver and she can’t help but feel bad for him. She hasn’t interacted with him a lot, but he seems like a nice guy.

 

“I’m sorry,” Beca shouts, “I wish I was the girl you think I am, but I’m not.”

 

Jesse’s voice is coloured in hurt now, “what does that even mean Beca?”

 

“I’m not your soul mate Jesse. We’re not meant to be or perfect for each other. I know you love me, but I don’t think I can lie to you anymore.”

 

The sigh that escapes Jesse is pained, Emily is surprised he doesn’t just walk away.

 

“Beca don’t,” is all he says, “We can get through this.”

 

“Jesse there is no we anymore. I’m in love with someone else.”

 

Emily doesn’t have to see him to know that tears are now streaming down Jesse’s face. He knows Beca well enough to know she wouldn’t say those words without meaning it.

 

The name “Chloe” tumbles from his lips as he walks away.

* * *

Emily jumps back into the shadows, hoping that he won’t see her. She really should have left when she realized what they were talking about, but she didn’t. Her curiosity got the best of her and now she doesn’t know whether to run or stay and comfort Beca. She has to make her decision quickly as Beca walks toward her next.

 

“I’m sorry,” Emily blurts out, clearly catching Beca off-guard.

 

Even in the darkness Emily can see Beca roll her eyes. She knows Beca’s still mad at her when she just keeps walking. Her height comes in handy today as she easily keeps up as Beca tries to race away from her.

 

“Beca wait,” Emily pleads with her, “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said earlier.”

 

Beca stops in her tracks and Emily waits for her to turn around.

 

Emily can see the frustration on her face. She doesn’t want to say the next words that come out of her mouth.

 

“You weren’t wrong.”

 

“That doesn’t mean I was right to say it to you.”

 

“No, but I get it. Chloe’s always been there for you, you’re just looking out for her.”

 

Emily just nods.

 

“I guess I just didn’t want to be like my dad you know. I didn’t want to leave someone who loved me more than anything, someone who would give me the world.”

 

She doesn’t know what to say, she can’t really relate. She knows Chloe can though; she had to make the same choice when she broke up with Tom.

 

“I won’t tell Chloe yet if you don’t want to me to,” Emily assures Beca.

 

It’s the least she can do after yelling at her and then eavesdropping on her breakup.

 

“Thanks Em. I just don’t know if I’m ready.”

She wants to run back to the Bellas and tell Chloe about the breakup. She wants her to know that everything is going to be okay, that Beca really does love her and wants to be wih her. She wants to pick up the broken pieces of Chloe’s heart and help her put it back together but she can’t. She promised she wouldn’t.

* * *

 

“Where have you been?” Chloe asks her, the panic in her voice dissipating as she realizes Emily is okay.

 

“I just went for a walk,” Emily only half lies.

 

Chloe raises an eyebrow when she notices that Beca is with her but doesn’t say anything. Whatever they talked about they obviously don’t want to share right now.

 

“Well, Amy was just saying she found a restaurant that doesn’t serve fish if we want to go out for a celebratory dinner,” Chloe says, changing the subject.

 

With that the Bellas turn to follow Chloe, in search of a dinner that never had scales. As Emily walks with the Bellas she can’t help but notice that two Bellas are hanging at the back of the pack. She watches as Stacie walks slowly behind the rest of the Bellas, Aubrey at her side. When Aubrey stops to take a photo of a colourful building Emily takes her chance.

 

“Tell her,” she mouths to Stacie.

 

Emily jogs away in an effort to catch up with the rest of the Bellas. She smiles when she looks back and sees that Stacie and Aubrey are stopped and talking.

 

She figures things must be going either really well or really poorly when neither of them show up to dinner. She lies and says she thinks she heard Stacie say something about feeling sick when Flo asks where they are.

 

As they’re finishing desert, Chloe stands up at the head of the table.

 

Emily laughs as Amy chants, “speech, speech, speech.”

 

“When I started at Barden I met exactly one person who I would even remotely classify as nice, and she was crazy. If you guessed Aubrey then of course you’re right. Aubrey became my best friend and the Bellas eventually became my family, you guys are my family. Next year I’m not going to be a Barden Bella anymore, but I’m always going to remember what being a Bella felt like. I love you guys, and I can’t wait to be there for you, no matter where life after the Bellas takes you.”

 

Emily watches as Chloe wipes a tear from her cheek. She knows how much the Bellas have always meant to her. Today marks the end of a chapter in Chloe’s life, but Emily knows Chloe will make the best of the next chapter too.

* * *

 

It’s late when they finally get back to their hotel room. They’re totally un-prepared to leave Copenhagen in the morning but all Emily wants to do is flop down on the bed and sleep. It’s been a long day.

 

“I guess it went well,” Chloe whispers in her ear as she looks at the other side of the room.

 

Emily smiles as she sees Aubrey’s arm wrapped around Stacie from behind, the two of them are fast asleep.

 

“I guess so.”

 

Emily crawls quietly into her bed, next to Chloe. They haven’t been in Copenhagen that long but Emily knows she’s going to miss it when they have to leave. Her first and thankfully not her last big performance as a Bella took place here and she’ll never forget it.

 

When she wakes up in the middle of the night she’s surprised to find the other side of the bed is empty. Stacie and Aubrey are still sound asleep on the other side of the room but Chloe is missing. Emily only needs one guess, she knows exactly where Chloe is; wherever Beca is.

* * *

 

Sure enough when Emily opens the door she finds Chloe pacing in the hallway. She’s walking back and forth between their room and Beca’s. Emily doesn’t have to ask what she’s doing. She wonders how long she’s been waiting, debating about whether or not to knock on the door. It’s 4AM Copenhagen time according to her watch and Chloe has bags under her eyes, she obviously hasn’t slept.

 

“Chloe,” she calls to her, her voice just barely above a whisper.

 

“Chloe, come back inside.”

 

“I don’t want to go another day like this Em; another day wondering if she’s ever going to leave him. I know she loves me Emily, and it’s not enough that I know it. I want to feel it.”

 

Emily shuts the door as quietly as she can and meets Chloe in the hallway. She grabs hold of the other woman’s shoulders, stopping her frantic pacing. She hates to see her like this.

 

“Hey,” Emily tries to stop her mind from running in circles, “Chloe, stop.”

 

“Em, I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want her to leave Barden and never look back.”

 

Emily is at a loss for words. She can’t tell Chloe what she knows; she promised Beca she would let her do it herself. Still though, she doesn’t want to watch Chloe like this for another minute.

 

“She w…” Emily starts to speak up, until she hears a door creak open down the hallway.

 

“I won’t.”

 

The voice is unmistakably Beca’s; they both know it well. Clearly their attempts at being quiet have failed and Beca’s heard a least a little bit of their conversation. Chloe’s jaw is on the floor. She wanted to talk to Beca but now that she’s standing in front of her, she doesn’t know what to say.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update has taken way too long. Life has been crazy and I just haven’t had the motivation to write. I hit a creative wall so to speak and I hadn’t been able to get out of the rut until today. I’ve been meaning to wrap this story up so this is the final chapter. I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading and thank you to everyone still following for your incredible patience. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, whether it’s a comment or review here or message on Tumblr. Thank you again for reading, and I hope you’ll enjoy the ending.

Chloe isn’t even surprised when she opens her eyes and sees nothing but raindrops pelting the window in their hotel room. Another rainy day in Copenhagen, she wishes she’d paid more attention in Geography class. At least they fly home today, not that it doesn’t rain back in Atlanta but she’s pretty sure it doesn’t rain as much anywhere else in the world as it does in Denmark. It takes a second for her to remember but her memory is jogged when she feels warm breath on the back of her neck. She turns over slowly, not wanting to wake the body practically draped over hers. She can’t help but smile as she watches her chest rise and fall. She’s watched Beca sleep before, but this feels different.

 

Last night is a blur, a flurry of kisses, clothes falling to the floor and Beca’s warm body pressed against her own. She’s still in shock, they leave today and she never could have imagined she’d be leaving Copenhagen after spending the night with Beca Mitchell. She takes a deep breath, just breathing in Beca’s scent. She could never forget it, she always smells of her shampoo and occasionally lavender. Chloe doesn’t know why she only sometimes smells like lavender but she loves those days. Beca is not a morning person but Chloe knows it’s only a matter of time until she wakes up. She almost doesn’t want her to. She’s not sure if she’s afraid or if she just wants to cherish the moment. Beca will feel the same when she wakes up as she did last night, at least that’s what Chloe tells herself.

 

“Good morning beautiful,” Beca says breathily.

 

“Hey love.”

 

“I like the sound of that.”

 

She speaks confidently but Beca can obviously sense that something is wrong.

 

“Chloe, I’m still here okay,” Beca offers sweetly, pressing a gentle kiss to Chloe’s cheek.

 

She hesitates before the question slips from her lips.

 

“Are you still going to be there when we get home?”

 

Beca sighs. She shouldn’t be surprised that Chloe is asking, but she wishes she didn’t have to ask.

 

She clears her throat, maybe this won’t be the most important thing she ever says but it feels important. It’s important to Chloe.

 

“Last night when I said I wouldn’t leave Barden and never look back, I meant it. I meant that I’m not going to leave you. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I love you, I hope you know that.”

 

Chloe doesn’t need Beca to say it. She knows Beca is thinking about the exact same moment as she is. The night they won the ICCA finals. Beca kissed Jesse instead of Chloe. Beca’s mistake, Chloe’s broken heart. All of that will be water under the bridge if Beca means it when she says she’s not going anywhere.

 

Before either of them can say another word there’s a loud bang on the door. Chloe doesn’t even have to open it to know that it’s…

 

“Amy,” Beca shouts, “we’ll be out shortly.”

 

“You can get it on back in America, let’s go.”

 

Chloe just laughs and pulls her shirt back over her head. It takes her a few minutes to find her underwear. She remembers Beca flinging them across the room excitedly last night. She finds them hanging over the lamp in the corner.

 

“It’s about time,” Amy greets them brashly when they finally exit their hotel room.

 

“First Stacie hooks up with the drill sergeant and now you and Red. I guess it’s about time.”

 

Beca just nods as she tangles up her fingers with Chloe’s. She’s gained a lot more than an A Capella World Champion title on this European adventure.

* * *

 

Chloe doesn’t want to let go of Beca’s hand, even when they get to security at the airport. She’s spent too long waiting to hold Beca’s hand in public and kiss her square on the lips with everyone watching. She doesn’t want to stop for one minute. She keeps repeating Beca’s words in her mind. She’s won’t leave.

 

“Earth to Chloe,” she hears a voice at the same time she sees fingers snapping in her face.

 

“You okay?” Emily asks, half laughing, half concerned.

 

Chloe smiles at her. She has a feeling last night would never have happened without Emily’s help.

 

“I’m perfect babe, how about you?”

 

“Sad to be leaving Copenhagen I guess, but really happy we won. I think I’m going to go tell mom all about it as soon as we get back.”

* * *

_Emily’s palms are sweaty; Chloe can barely keep hold of her tiny hand. It’s cold out, maybe the coldest day of the year. She tries to tighten the scarf around Emily’s neck to keep her warm but she just rips it off. Chloe knows without looking at her that tears have begun to stream down the young girl’s face. She just doesn’t know what else to say. It’s the first time they’ve visited her parents’ graves since the funeral, the first time she said she was ready but as they approach she is anything but ready._

_“Maybe it would help if you talked to them?” Chloe suggests._

_She hopes she’s not making it worse. She’s never been in Emily’s position._

_She wipes the tears from Emily’s cheeks with her own scarf. It breaks her heart every time Emily breaks down. She should be used to it by now, living with an 11 year old that just lost her parents. She just wishes there was anything she could do or say to make her feel even a little less pain. It’s hopeless though, it’s just going to hurt until it hurts a little less. It’s always going to hurt._

_Emily is silent for a while, just standing in front of her mother’s grave, studying the headstone. Loving wife, mother and friend she reads aloud, her voice cracking slightly. Chloe knows that Emily’s mother was all of those things and more. The stone is engraved with flowers and some stars in the corner. It’s beautiful._

_“I sang a solo today in choir,” Emily speaks up, her voice clear and unwavering._

_Chloe rubs soothing circles on her back, smiling as she tells her mother about her day, her week, and her month since she lost her._

_“Thanks,” Emily smiles over at Chloe as they walk back to her car._

_“For what babe?”_

_“For being here for me.”_

_She wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else._

* * *

 

The plane ride back to the States is quiet and fairly uneventful. Most of the Bellas sleep, tired after a late night of celebrating their big win.

 

Chloe can’t help but notice Jesse boring holes into the back of their heads with his eyes. Of course he’s on the same flight as them. She also notices that Beca doesn’t look back during the flight. She doesn’t even go to the bathroom. She doesn’t want to pass him. She’s never been one for normal conversation; forget an awkward encounter with your very recent ex in front of your new, well, something.

 

“He’ll get over it,” Beca speaks up suddenly.

 

“What?” Chloe asks.

 

“Jesse, don’t worry about him. He’ll get over it. I love you and I don’t want this being a cloud hanging over us.”

 

“I wasn’t worried,” Chloe lies.

 

Beca just closes the gap between their lips. She breaks away a second later, presumably remembering that Jesse is still behind them but she’s smiling. Chloe loves that smile.

* * *

 

It’s dark out when they get back to the Bella house, the only light coming from the kitchen. Cynthia Rose insisted they leave it on during their trip to ward off burglars.

 

“You staying the night?” Chloe turns to Aubrey as the Bellas all file in the porch.

 

“Of course she is,” Stacie pipes up, pressing a kiss to the tall blonde’s cheek.

 

Aubrey chuckles, “I guess that’s a yes.”

 

She barely gets her shoes off before Stacie is dragging her toward her bedroom.

 

 “I guess sharing Stacie’s room is out of the question tonight,” Emily jokes.

 

“We can go home if you want?” Chloe offers, “might be nice to sleep in your own bed, and hopefully see the sun when you wake up.”

 

Emily laughs, but shakes her head. “It’s okay, we can stay here tonight. I’m sure Beca would like that.”

 

Emily receives a gentle elbow to the ribs as she winks at Beca.

 

“She’s not wrong,” Beca smiles, “I would really like it if you stayed tonight.”

 

Chloe presses a kiss to the shorter woman’s lips. “Well, I can’t resist that face.”

 

“Move it or lose it lovebirds,” Amy shouts as she barges through the trio still standing in the entryway to the house.

 

“We’re moving,” Beca assures her, taking Chloe’s hand.

 

“Guess you’re rooming with me kiddo.”

 

Emily knows it would be futile to argue, and at least Amy doesn’t snore.

* * *

 

When she opens her eyes Chloe doesn’t feel the same panic she felt the morning prior. She knows Beca is still there before she even feels her arm around her waist.

 

Chloe is startled when Beca speaks up.

 

“You ready for our big day?”

 

“Mmm,” Chloe nods into the crook of Beca’s neck.

 

She squeezes Beca’s hand tight as they pace back and forth in the hallway of the Dean’s office. They were standing in this same spots months ago right before their world came crashing down.

 

“Might help if Gail didn’t get botox and we could tell if she was actually smiling,” Amy whispers eliciting a laugh from Emily.

 

Chloe now knows what Aubrey felt like when she vomited all over the front row at Lincoln Centre. She’s never been more nervous in her life. Sure she may be graduating this year but the future of the Barden Bellas is Emily’s future.

 

“Congratulations,” Gail announces after what seems like hours.

 

“The Barden Bellas are welcome to compete again in next year’s collegiate a capella competitions.”

 

The joyful screams are almost deafening, including some rather strange words from Amy that Chloe can only assume are Australian obscenities. The Barden Bellas are still the Barden Bellas.

 

“Em?”

 

“Yeah Chloe?”

 

“We couldn’t have done this without you.”

 

The smile that spreads across her face is infections.

 

“Red’s right,” Amy chimes in, “it’s like you were our flashlight in the dark.”

 

Cynthia Rose bursts out laughing and the rest of the Bellas follow suit.

 

“You’ve got a bright future kid,” Beca offers when the laughter quiets down. “There’s no one else I’d want to take my place as Captain of this here crazy group of girls. Do us proud. You have a legacy to uphold.”

 

The Bellas crowd around their newest member.

 

“Ahh on three?”

 

“I think it’s after three actually,” Stacie pipes up.

 

“Stacie,” they collectively groan.

 

“Just kidding.”

 

When she joined the Barden Bellas Chloe never imagined that the a capella group would mean so much to her. 7 years later she has met the best friends she could ever ask for, watched Emily live her dream and she finally got the girl. She can’t think of a better way to have spent 7 years, even if it did cost her a cool 200 grand and she’ll never be able to read another piece of Russian Literature again. Beca’s worth it.


End file.
